Naruto The Kitsune Hanyou
by Dragon Man 180
Summary: AU Kyuubi never attacked Konoha and instead fell in love with the Fourth Hokage and married him. She soon gives birth to a hanyou son named Naruto. Watch Naruto on his journey to become the first hanyou Hokage. Pairings: NaruHina, SasuHakufemale
1. Prologue

Summary: (AU) Kyuubi never attacked Konoha and instead fell in love with the Fourth Hokage and married him. She soon gives birth to a hanyou son named Naruto. Watch Naruto as his journey to become the first hanyou Hokage Pairings: NaruHina, Sasu?

**AN: This is my first pure Naruto story, though some ideas from Inuyasha are present, like hanyou, youkai, and some of the abilities Naruto will gain in the future.**

Ken Uzumaki sighed as he listened to the forest around him. He had finally managed to catch up with all the paperwork he had to deal with as the Hokage of Konoha and taken the afternoon off to celebrate. Leaving old Sarutobi in charge, Ken had taken a walk in the forest of Konoha and enjoyed the fresh afternoon air. Ken enjoyed the peace and quite in contrast to the noise of the village that was his responsibility. An approaching chakra signature caught Ken's attention and he looked up to see a large nine-tailed kitsune approaching him. The fox's fur coat shone like silk and the red fur seemed to capture the essence of fire. Ken stood up and stared at the kitsune for a minute before bowing in greeting. To his surprise the kitsune returned the gesture. The Hokage reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a package of rice balls. Holding one out to the kitsune, the man asked, "Would you like to join me for a snack Kitsune-dono?" The kitsune seemed to nod and walked up to Ken calmly. Ken held the rice ball out for the kitsune, who daintily accepted the morsel and started chewing as she, as Ken could now tell since the kitsune was close enough to make out such details as its gender, sank down to the ground beside the Hokage. Ken slowly reached over and started scratching behind the kitsune's ears, which caused the fox to relax even further and emit a happy sort of purr. Ken grinned and passed his new friend a second rice ball as he enjoyed his own part of the repast. When the rice balls where devoured, Ken sat scratching the kitsune's ears some more as they watched the forest slowly grow darker around them. As twilight occurred, Ken regretfully stood up and bowed once again to the kitsune. "Kitsune-hime, I thank you for such a memorable afternoon. I am afraid I must leave now, but I hope we might meet again!" The kitsune stared at Ken for a minute before bowing again and walking off into the trees. The Hokage smiled and headed towards Konoha, happy to have spent the afternoon in such pleasant company and hoping to repeat the experience again.

(-)

Ken soon found the kitsune shared his wishes to repeat their relaxing afternoon the next time he was free and in the woods. It soon became a habit for the Hokage to bring a new snack each time and talk with his new friend while they shared the food. The kitsune even followed the young Hokage back to the village for shelter from a sudden hailstorm during the winter one time. Village children said that the kitsune would watch them as they played in the forest and help any of them that found themselves separated from the others. The kitsune would often wander the streets of Konoha beside the Hokage as time went on, getting snacks from shop owners and letting the children of Konoha treat her like a giant puppy. Many of the villagers would bow to the kitsune and considered her to be a lucky omen for the village.

(-)

About a year after he first met the kitsune, Ken was once again waiting in the woods for his friend to join him. The kitsune always arrived after Ken did unless he met her on the way to their meeting spot under the tree he had been lying under that first time a year ago. The familiar chakra signature of his friend approaching caught Ken's attention and he grinned as he looked up to call a greeting, "Konnichi wa Kitsu…" only to stop and stare in surprise. Instead of the nine tailed kitsune, Ken saw a young woman dressed in a blue kimono. Long red hair the same color as the kitsune's fell down to the middle of her back, while bright green eyes looked at the Hokage above slightly flushed cheeks. But what really caught Ken's attention was that the woman had red fox ears on top of her head and nine red fox tails with white tips waving slightly behind her. "Konnichi wa, Hokage-sama," whispered the woman. Ken slowly stood up, his eyes never leaving those of the woman. "Is that you Kitsune-Hime?" he asked softly. The woman kept her gaze locked on Ken's as she said, "Hai, I am your friend Kitsune-Hime. I did not approach you in this form before because I wanted to judge your character and get to know you before appearing like this." Ken slowly walked over to the kitsune woman and raised one of her hands to his lips. "Kitsune-Hime, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Uzumaki Ken, Fourth Hokage of Konoha," said Ken as if they were meeting for the first time as he kissed her hand. The kitsune woman blushed and replied, "Arigato, Hokage-sama, I am Kyuubi no Kitsune." Ken smiled and gestured for Kyuubi to join him. The two talked as they ate the pork buns Ken had brought this time as Ken asked Kyuubi several questions about kitsune that he remembered from child hood stories. Kyuubi relaxed more and more as the afternoon wore on and soon the two felt as comfortable as they had when Kyuubi had stayed in her fox form.

(-)

Kyuubi's human form soon became a common sight in Konoha. She would often play with the children of the village or watch them for their parents in the park while the adults went shopping or ran errands. Ken would join her at the park if he had the time, telling the children stories from his past missions and things he had seen in his travels as Hokage. Many of the villagers were indebted to Kyuubi, who soon became a doctor and was now the head of the Konoha hospital. The legendary healer Tsunade had tested Kyuubi and found the kitsune's skills to be at slightly below her level, meaning Kyuubi was the best medic nin in Konoha. Many lives were saved thanks to her skills and children who she visited in the hospital called Kyuubi the fox angel for her tender loving care. The whole village seemed to glow with life when ever the Hokage and Kyuubi were together and the children said that Kyuubi's eyes lit up whenever Ken walked into the park or she caught his scent as he approached. Thus it was no surprise that Ken one day asked Kyuubi to marry him. The Kitsune woman had tears in her eyes as she accepted and all the children who had been watching the couple from behind the bushes and trees jumped out of hiding and started cheering.

(-)

The wedding of Kyuubi and Ken Uzumaki was a huge event in Konoha. The other four Kages all attended with the various Lords from different countries. Ken's former sensei and the legendary frog senin Jiraiya came to give his pupil his blessing, as well as a signed collection of his Icha Icha Paradise book series, which Ken promptly threw into the trash when Jiraiya wasn't looking, only to see his student Kakashi grab the books and run away with the outline of a grin showing through his face mask. The ceremony had to take place in a large clearing outside Konoha because Ken invited the boss toad, Gamabunta, since the toads where his preferred summoning animals. Sarutobi presided over the ceremony at Kyuubi's request, mainly to keep Jiraiya, who was taking the role of best man, from making any rude or perverted remarks. The entire village attended and the festival that followed lasted for three days. Ken and Kyuubi spent their honeymoon on a remote island of the Mist country.

(-)

Ten months after the wedding, Kyuubi gave birth to a healthy baby boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes. Ken was surprised to find the boy had two soft fox ears on his head, but Kyuubi simply said it was his kitsune blood showing. She promised to train their son, whom they named Naruto, in using his kitsune powers to shift his shape into an entirely human form so he could live a normal life. Naruto's birth was marked by much excitement in the village, which had already heard the news of the birth of the second son of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke and would later rejoice at the birth of the heir to the Hyuga Main house, Hyuga Hinata. These three children were often in each other's company, since their mothers would often get together during meetings of the clan heads with Ken. Sasuke was a quiet boy, often sitting in a corner with a picture book by himself. Naruto was just the opposite, a bright loud bundle of energy that was into everything. Hinata would often accompany Naruto on his adventures and play with him, seeming to come out of her quiet shell when the blond kitsune boy was around and talk more often. In fact, Hinata's first word was 'Naruto'. Hinata's cousin Neji was also a frequent playmate of Naruto's since he had to fulfill his duty as a member of the Hyuga Branch house and protect Hinata and never left her side.

(-)

When Naruto was two years old, Kyuubi started training him in using his kitsune powers. Before this time, a special seal placed on Naruto kept his kitsune blood dormant and gave him a human appearance. Naruto soon learned how to shift his shape, create the mysterious blue fox fire, and even talk to other animals. Kyuubi would sometimes transform into a pony sized fox and let her son ride on her back as she trotted through the village. The villagers would call out greetings to the two as they passed, which Naruto happily returned. Naruto was often given free treats on these rides and he would often be seen with his mouth crammed full of sweets and cookies and desperately clutching onto his mother's back as a stomach ache caused him to feel miserable.

(-)

During one particular evening fox back ride when Naruto was three years old, Kyuubi was heading towards home when a masked man rushed past her carrying a girl over his shoulder. Naruto saw that the girl was Hinata from her easily recognizable jacket. "Konnichi wa Hinata-chan!" yelled the blond boy happily. The man carrying Hinata spun around in surprise, since he hadn't seen Naruto or Kyuubi. Kyuubi's eyes widened as she saw Hinata's arms were tied together by rope on her wrists and the girl's mouth was gagged. One of Kyuubi's tails grabbed Naruto and set him on the ground as she grew to the size of a man and started growling at the man holding Hinata. The man leapt back in fright, then Kyuubi pounced and knocked him over while a tail grabbed Hinata and pulled her out of her grasp. Naruto ran over and used his blunted practice Kunai to cut Hinata free and removed the gag from her mouth. "What's going on Hinata-chan?" he asked. Hinata sniffed and threw her arms around Naruto as she started crying.

"He…he…he kidnapped m…me!" sobbed Hinata. "He said he would learn the secrets behind my clan's bloodline limit the Byakugan. Neji-ni-san was with me and tried to fight him off to save me, but he was to strong. I couldn't get away and he tied me up and… and…" Hinata's words cut off as her sobs cut off her ability to speak. Kyuubi was now growling angrily and gave off a loud howl into the air. Almost instantly, Ken was at his transformed wife's side and staring at the trapped man in shock after pulling off the man's mask. "You're the ambassador from Kumo, what is going on here?" asked the shocked Hokage. Naruto glared at the Cloud Nin and said, "Hinata-chan says this man kidnapped her and attacked her cousin Neji when he defended Hinata-chan!" Ken's face darkened as he glared at the man. The loving father was gone, temporarily replaced with the Fire Shadow to protect the future generation of Konoha. Ken made a quick series of hand seals that paralyzed the Cloud Nin. Kyuubi shifted back to her human form and picked up Hinata and Naruto, placing one child on each shoulder while Ken slung the captured Cloud Nin over his shoulder. The group proceeded to the Hyuga mansion, where they were met with a search party led by Hinata's uncle Hizashi. The older Hyuga was overjoyed to see his niece safe and quickly led them into the house where his brother Hiashi was comforting his wife Hikari as she wept over Hinata's favorite stuffed bear. As soon as Hinata's mother saw her daughter safe in Kyuubi's arms, she rushed over and hugged Hinata, Kyuubi, and Naruto all at once as she thanked them for saving her daughter.

Ken and Hiashi had left with the Cloud Nin to question him, leaving their wives to comfort the children. "How is Neji-kun?" asked Kyuubi as she noticed the boy was no where to be seen. Hizashi sighed and said, "Neji is in bed. The kidnapper used some thunder jutsu on him and he suffered horrible burns." Kyuubi gasped and stood up immediately. "Take me to see him at once!" she said. Hizashi led Kyuubi, Naruto, and Hinata to the part of the Hyuga compound where the Branch family lived. The four of them entered Neji's room and finally saw the boy lying on a futon. Kyuubi gasped, since Neji's entire body seemed to be covered in burn marks and bandages. Neji's eyes opened slightly and he smiled weakly when he saw Hinata looking at him. "Hinata-sama, you're safe." Hinata nodded and gently took Neji's right hand, one of the few places not injured on his body. "Kyuubi-san and Naruto-kun saved me; if it wasn't for them I might be halfway to Kumo by now." Neji's eyes shifted to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, please take care of Hinata-san for me. I know you have the strength to succeed where I failed." Kyuubi scowled and said, "Hyuga Neji, stop talking like you are about to die! I am the head of the hospital and I am not about to let one of my son's friends die! As for failing, you're only four years old and have much less experience than that man. I sensed a few of hisTsubos were closed, so you did land a few hits. You should be proud and train harder to protect Hinata in the future." The kitsune woman made a few seals and caused a green glow to surround her hands. Kyuubi gently ran her hands over Neji's body, healing the minor damage and easing his pain. Neji's body relaxed as he sank into a deep sleep with a smile on his face. Kyuubi continued healing Neji until the burn marks had all faded and Neji was soon able to sit up. Hizashi smiled at his son and placed his hand on Neji's shoulder. "You have made me proud this day Neji. You risked your life to protect Hinata-chan and earned the respect of the entire Main House, Hiashi is even talking of ending the division between our houses and removing the curse seal for your bravery." Neji's pale eyes widened and he stared at his father in shock. Hinata smiled and hugged her cousin while Naruto congratulated the boy. Hiashi and Ken soon joined the people surrounding Neji's bed and praised his bravery and skill. Ken promised Hiashi his support in unifying the two houses into one Hyuga house with no distinction between Main and Branch. Hinata's mother also stopped by to thank Neji, kissing him on the forehead to show her gratitude. (AN: Hanabi hasn't been born yet as far as I know and I think Hinata's mom died giving birth to Hanabi, though I'm not sure about this and she won't die in this fic)

(-)

Neji recovered completely within two days thanks to Kyuubi's initial healing. Negotiations had been going on between Kumo and Konoha because of Kumo breaking their peace treaty. The Raikage himself came to Konoha to facilitate the negotiations and it was discovered that the kidnapper was a renegade Cloud Nin and the Raikage gladly killed him for bringing such a disgrace to the village and for killing the ambassador he had sent with the treaty. In the end Ken managed to get Kumo's scroll of forbidden scrolls for a week and copied it for future reference. The Raikage formally apologized to Hinata and Neji for all the trouble the rouge had caused them. The Hyuga children easily accepted his apology, though Neji muttered something about wanting to kick the kidnapper's ass before he would forgive the kidnapper.

(-)

Hiashi quietly watched the Hyuga council enter the clan's meeting room. The Hyuga head had always been secretly angered by the council elder's refusal to stop using the curse seal on the branch house members. His anger had intensified when he saw Neji get punished for allowing Hinata to be kidnapped. All the adults had left the boy alone to recover and one of the elders, Hitoshi, had taken it upon himself to inflict the punishment. Luckily, Hiashi and Ken had heard Neji's screams of pain and put a stop to the unjust torment. Now, Hiashi hoped to forever eliminate the gap between the branch and main houses. All eyes focused on Hiashi as he rose from his seat to address the council. "Esteemed Elders, I have called this meeting to discuss the consequences of the attempted kidnapping of Hinata. The kidnapper was a nukenin (missing Nin) from Kumo and has been killed by the Raikage himself for attempting to cause war between our countries. However, the situation of my nephew Neji is the main reason I have called this meeting. Shortly after Hinata's return, thanks to Kyuubi-san intercepting the kidnapper, Neji was resting from the wounds he sustained while trying to defend Hinata. The boy risked his life to protect Hinata from a Jounin level nukenin and was heavily injured, so when Ken-sama and I heard him scream in pain we ran into the room, only to find Neji holding his head as Hitoshi-sama used the curse seal on him. You can see that he is not here at this council and the reason is that he has been arrested for his cruel treatment of Neji," said Hiashi. The elders muttered among themselves, Hitoshi had been the most senior of the elders and opposed many of Hiashi's ideas. Hiashi knew without him the other elders would have little chance of opposing him. Hiashi then resumed speaking, "I now ask Uzumaki Kyuubi to speak on her diagnostic of Neji's condition."

All eyes fell on Kyuubi as she stood from her seat beside Ken and Naruto. Kyuubi cleared her throat before saying, "Neji-kun was already injured before Hitoshi activated the curse seal and the pain of the seal reopened some of his wounds that had been healed by me. Neji almost died from the amount of pain he felt! It took all my skill to repair the damage done to Neji's nerves and body from the pain Hitoshi put him through!" One of the elders opened his mouth to protest, but Kyuubi cut him off. "Neji was lucky to survive his encounter with the nukenin and the agony of the curse seal; however, the fact is that if the curse seal is activated for him again he will die!" Hiashi cleared his throat to signal he wanted to speak and Kyuubi nodded for him to go ahead. "Neji's bravery has shown that he is totally devoted to keeping Hinata safe. I therefore request the removal of the curse seal from Neji." The elders instantly stood up to protest, only to feel immense killing intent radiating from Kyuubi. "I have lived for many years and I have never seen anything as stupid as this division between the branch and main houses. You are just encouraging the branch house to rebel and if it wasn't for people like Hinata-chan who don't care about the differences they might already have rebelled!" exclaimed Kyuubi.

A few years later, when Naruto was seven, a great tragedy befell Konoha. While Ken was in Hidden Grass negotiating a treaty with Hidden Grass and Stone, Sasuke's older brother Itachi slaughtered his entire clan, except for Sasuke, who had stayed late to practice his shuriken throwing with Naruto. Sasuke arrived home just in time to see Itachi kill their parents. Itachi then used his new Mange-Sharingan to force his little brother to watch him kill their parents for seventy two hours in his head. Itachi fled the village, becoming a Nukenin and leaving a devastated Sasuke behind. Luckily, Naruto happened to pass by on his way to the store for Kyuubi and smelled the blood in Sasuke's house. Naruto soon had Sasuke in Kyuubi's care. Kyuubi immediately started getting the paperwork processed that would allow Ken and her to adopt Sasuke. The boy was responding well to being surrounded by the people who were like a second family to him and Naruto's natural cheerfulness combined with Hinata's kind treatment allowed him to get over his grief and resume living, although he rarely smiled any more and was a dark contrast to Naruto's boundless enthusiasm. Sasuke now trained hard with the goal of avenging his clan one day and soaked up anything Ken could teach him. Naruto and Sasuke were often seen together and many people called them brothers. When they entered the academy it was quickly established that the two were the best of the class and they were always competing in the various activities. Sasuke however, was a loner and only let Naruto and Hinata get close to him while Naruto was friends with several of the other boys in the class, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Shino Aburame. Hinata had few friends because of her quiet nature except for Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. Unknown to all these young aspiring shinobi, they all had a destiny to become part of the greatest generation of shinobi that Konoha would ever see.

**Next chapter starts where the manga does, so get ready for the Graduation Exam!**


	2. Tail 1: Graduation

**AN: Well, here's where the manga starts up. Just for reference, Naruto hides his hanyou features (fox ears, tails, claws, fangs), out of habit so he can feel normal. This is partly for the same reason Konohamaru wanted to beat his grandpa, so people would acknowledge him for who he is instead of whose son he is.**

Kyuubi Uzumaki was annoyed. Her husband had been forced to leave early for a meeting and she was stuck with the task of waking up two twelve year olds. "I had better start with Naruto, Sasuke will take a while and give Naruto time to get ready for breakfast," sighed Kyuubi as she entered Naruto's room. The room was tidy enough for Naruto, though Kyuubi had decided that her son's first D rank mission when he was a genin was to make sure his room was spotless like Sasuke's. Kyuubi snapped her fingers and a two tailed kitsune curled up in a basket in the corner of the room opened his eyes and ran over to sit at Kyuubi's feet. The little kitsune had been found by Naruto in the forest a year ago and quickly became the hanyou's pet and constant companion.

"You called me Kyuubi-hime?" asked the little fox. Kyuubi smiled and bent over to pet the fox on the head.

"I did Gishou (playful laughter), I need you to wake up my son for me," said Kyuubi as she lifted Gishou up and placed him on Naruto's bed. The little kitsune grinned and started licking Naruto's face, causing the blond boy to start tossing and turning in an attempt to deny the inevitable. Naruto finally gave in and sat up with a huge yawn that showed his sharp canines. Gishou pounced on one of Naruto's five tails, trying the catch the kitsune hanyou off guard. Naruto idly intercepted the little red fur ball with his hand and gave him a light smack with a tail before setting Gishou down and untangling himself from his sheets.

"Morning Oka-san," said Naruto as he rubbed the sand from his eyes. Kyuubi ruffled Naruto's hair, being careful of his fox ears. Naruto sighed as he slipped his feet into his slippers and walked into the bathroom he shared with Sasuke. The fox boy turned on the shower and happily let the hot water wash away all thoughts of sleep. Gishou jumped in with Naruto and insisted on being scrubbed and shampooed all over. Naruto complied and exited the shower with the fox perched between his ears for drying. Naruto grabbed his big fluffy towel and dried both himself and Gishou off easily. Naruto then brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth out to eliminate his bad morning breath. As Naruto exited the bathroom, Sasuke stumbled into the room trying to blink the sand out of his eyes. "Morning Sasuke!" exclaimed Naruto cheerfully, to which Sasuke replied with a grunt. Knowing his adopted brother usually needed a shower to fully wake up, Naruto ignored the unenthusiastic greeting and returned to his room to get dressed while Gishou ran downstairs to the kitchen to watch Kyuubi make breakfast.

(-)

Five minutes later Naruto was at the table eating a plate of pancakes as Kyuubi hurriedly gulped down her morning coffee and bagel so she would be ready to give the boys a fox back ride to the ninja Academy. Gishou was enjoying a piece of chicken leftover from dinner the previous night. Sasuke ran in and hurriedly poured himself a glass of orange juice to go with his pancakes. Naruto swallowed the last bite and rinsed off his dishes before running to the door and making sure he had everything he needed for the Academy while Gishou groomed himself on top of Naruto's head. Sasuke soon joined them and made sure both boys had their bento boxes. Well, Sasuke had a bento; Naruto had two cups of instant ramen and a can of ground hamburger for Gishou. Kyuubi handed Sasuke her bag and opened the door before transforming into her fox form and bending down so both boys could climb onto her back while Gishou climbed into Naruto's jumpsuit and poked his head out to see what was going on. Kyuubi made sure both boys had a good grip on her fur before she took off, running through the village streets towards the ninja academy. Kyuubi passed Hinata as the Hyuga heiress ran out of her house with a piece of toast in her mouth in an attempt to eat on the run since she had overslept because her nerves had kept her up late. Kyuubi easily caught the girl with a tail and deposited Hinata on her back in front of Naruto, who grabbed Hinata to allow her to eat her toast in comfort. "Arigato Kyuubi-san!" said Hinata after she finished her toast and the Academy was fast approaching. Kyuubi skidded to a stop and bent over to let her passengers climb off. Kyuubi made sure they had all their things before dashing off towards the hospital with her bag in her mouth as villagers cleared the way for her passage.

A loud yell of "Sasuke-kun is here!" followed by a bunch of screams had had Sasuke's face paling and Naruto smirking. The raven haired boy immediately ran off from the approaching mob of fan girls. Naruto winced slightly; he had been forced to deal with a similar fan club until he had started dating Hinata earlier this year. None of the girls besides Hinata knew about his kitsune features and Naruto intended for it to stay that way. He didn't want any girl but Hinata to scratch his ears and pet his tails. Another reason Sasuke had so many fan girls was because of his dark and silent personality, traits he had developed after the massacre of his family, and that made the girls go gaga over him. Sasuke often complained that he couldn't walk outside because the girls would stalk him whenever he was alone.

Naruto grinned as the dust cloud generated by the rabid fan girls dispersed and held his arm out to Hinata, who gladly took it while Gishou climbed onto Naruto's shoulders and looked around eagerly. A loud bark had Gishou on the ground in a flash of red fur as he started mock fighting with a little white puppy. Naruto smiled as Kiba approached Hinata and him. The heir of the Inuzuka clan, Kiba and his nin dog Akamaru were partners who worked together much like Naruto and Gishou. The two boys and pets were rivals over whether foxes or dogs were better and more useful. Kiba was almost as loud as Naruto, though he sometimes acted without thinking more often than Naruto did. "So you ready for the graduation exam tomorrow?" asked Kiba. Naruto and Hinata nodded, both were eager to take the exam and graduate. Noticing that a note on the black board said their sensei Iruka was in a meeting and would be back in half an hour, Naruto grinned and quietly slipped away, leaving Hinata and Gishou to wonder where he went.

(-)

"Hokage-sama, you won't believe what your son has done this time!" said a Chunin as he stuck his head into Ken's office. Ken looked up from his paperwork and sighed.

"Does it involve fire, animal feces, or sewage?" asked Ken as he mentally went over some of Naruto's past pranks.

The Chunin grinned and shook his head, causing Ken to raise an eyebrow. "No but take a look out the window!" said the Chunin.

Puzzled, Ken did as instructed and smiled as he saw the Hokage monument was sporting a few additions. Above his face were the words 'Best Dad Ever!' while Sarutobi's face had the words 'Dirty Old Man' written underneath it. Ken shook his head and disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared on top of the Hokage tower where a crowd had gathered. All eyes were on the figure hanging by a rope next to Ken's face and working on the words, 'This Space Reserved for Uzumaki Naruto!'. Ken grinned, Naruto had made it clear that he would be Hokage some day, though Ken hoped it was because he stepped down and wasn't killed in action. A puff of smoke next to Ken had him turn to see Naruto's sensei Iruka. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, I didn't realize my meeting would go so long and leave him unsupervised," said the teacher. Ken smiled and waved his hand to show Iruka was forgiven, glad Naruto hadn't defaced the monument. Iruka took a deep breath and yelled, "What the hell are you doing during class time? Get down here you moron!"

Naruto started flailing his arms and exclaimed, "Yikes, that's Iruka Sensei!" as he struggled to scramble up the rope without dropping the paint on one of the people below him. Naruto managed to get to the top of the monument and started to run away, only to find the back of his orange jumpsuit being grabbed by Iruka.

(-)

Back in the class room, many of the students were laughing about Naruto's additions to the monument when Iruka appeared with Naruto tied up. The Chunin sighed as the class quieted down and Naruto looked unrepentant. "Tomorrow is the Academy graduation exam and you choose to cause trouble now? What will your parents think when they see what you did?" yelled Iruka, totally forgetting that Ken had been beside him on top of the tower.

Naruto glanced away from his sensei and muttered, "Yeah, yeah," which caused Iruka to snap.

"Time for a review test on Henge no Jutsu! Everyone line up! Transform perfectly into me!" yelled Iruka to the class's moans and complaints. The class grudgingly got into a line and they proceded down the ranks. Finally, it was Sasuke's turn. The raven haired boy walked up to the front of the room to the cheers of his many fangirls.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and made the appropriate seal before yelling, "Henge!" A cloud of smoke hid Sasuke from view and swiftly dissipated to reveal a perfect double of Iruka in Sasuke's place.

"Excellent job Sasuke, you can sit down now. Next, Uzumaki Naruto!" said Iruka. Naruto ignored the murmurs of how the whole test was his fault from some of the students and walked up to take Sasuke's place. Naruto adjusted the goggles resting on his forehead as he prepared to perform the jutsu.

"Henge!" yelled Naruto as a large cloud of smoke enveloped him. Most of the smoke faded rapidly to reveal a tall blond woman with her hair in pigtails, two blond fox ears, five fox tails, and no clothes, with the smoke covering the most private areas. The vision of beauty blew a kiss at Iruka, whose mouth hung open for a second before a geyser of blood shot out from his nose and sent him crashing backwards. Naruto disengaged the henge with a laugh and said, "I call it Sexy no Jutsu!" Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou all sighed as they pictured the lecture Naruto would get when Kyuubi heard about this.

Iruka quickly recovered from his massive nosebleed and used his special 'Demon Head' to yell at Naruto. "You Dumbass, don't invent stupid skills!" roared the teacher. The force of Iruka's yell blew Naruto's hair back and the whole thing would have been very impressive if it hadn't been for the two pieces of twisted tissue Iruka had jammed up his nose to prevent his fainting from blood loss.

(-)

"Do I have to erase the part I wrote for dad's face?" whined Naruto as he looked at the part of his prank that he was the most proud of. Iruka sighed and glanced at Sasuke, who was reading a book while waiting for Naruto to finish whipping the Hokage monument clean with Gishou curled up in his lap. Kyuubi had sent a summoned fox to tell Iruka that Naruto was to clean all the paint by himself and Sasuke was to stay there to make sure he did it right. Sasuke gave Iruka a look that said, "You're the one he'll listen to" Iruka sighed and stared at the grumbling kitsune hanyou below him. Since they weren't in class, Naruto's fox features were visible so he could feel more comfortable.

"Sorry Naruto, Kyuubi-san said all of it. She already took a picture of your father's face and what you wrote next to it. You can't go home until you clean all of it," said Iruka. Naruto sighed and started using his tails to help him scrub all of the paint away. Iruka looked at the scowling fox boy and decided to play his motivation card. "Naruto…" the Chunin hesitated slightly, causing Naruto to look up at him.

"Now what?" asked Naruto.

"Well…umm… if you clean all this up I'll buy you a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku," said Iruka, making sure to emphasize the one so Naruto would know there was a limit on the number of bowls consumed.

Naruto stared at Iruka for a second before a huge grin stretched across his face. "Oh yeah, talk about motivation!" he yelled before becoming a yellow and orange blur as he moved so fast Iruka and Sasuke could barely see him. The paint was gone within moments and Naruto had actually run up the side of the monument and was bouncing up and down in front of Iruka. "Ramen, ramen, ramen, yay!" chanted the blond boy. Sasuke could only stare at Naruto in shock before muttering "Dobe," while Iruka was forced to smack Naruto on the head to calm him down.

(-)

Iruka grinned as he watched Naruto slurp down his chicken ramen with a look of pure bliss on his whiskered face, which was topped by Gishou resting in the blond's hair. It seemed that the Uzumaki men were ramen gluttons and could out eat an Akimichi if the only thing on the menu was ramen. Iruka had one time made the mistake of saying he would treat Naruto to ramen after Naruto turned in a report on the basic abilities of kitsune for extra credit in class without specifying the number of bowls the blond hanyou was limited to. Naruto had eaten ten bowls, which meant Iruka's wallet was empty by the end of the evening. And Naruto still managed to eat a large dinner at home after that. Naruto pretended to listen as Iruka lectured him on the importance of the Hokage monument and just what being Hokage meant. Iruka figured he had heard all this from his father before, but reinforcing a lesson never hurt. "By the way Sensei… I have a request," said Naruto as he placed his hands together in a begging position.

"Sorry Naruto, I said one bowl and I meant one bowl!" said Iruka with a smile.

"No, can I borrow your Konoha Hitai-ate?" asked Naruto with an attempt at puppy dog eyes that failed on the experienced teacher.

"Oh this?" said Iruka as he pointed to his forehead protector. "Sorry this is for after you graduate. This is a symbol that you've come of age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow."

"Stingy!" yelled Naruto, while Sasuke rolled his eyes and finished his bowl of pork ramen.

(-)

When Naruto and Sasuke reached their house, they found Kyuubi struggling with some bags to open the door. Both boys ran up and relieved her of said bags, allowing her to dig out her keys and unlock the door. "Arigato, Naruto, Sasuke. Please place the bags in the kitchen," said Kyuubi as she sank into a chair in the living room. The boys did as they were told, making sure all the groceries were put away. Sasuke then proceeded to remove Kyuubi's shoes and place a foot stool under her feet while Naruto brewed a pot of tea for his mother. "MMM, that smells good son. Arigato Sasuke, my feet are killing me. Konohamaru tried to attack his grandfather again and cut himself on a shuriken. I have no idea where he got it, but I had to give him a tetanus shot. It took all my tails to hold him down so he didn't run out of the room screaming and traumatize the other kids," said Kyuubi before she took a sip of the tea. "Now Naruto, what is this I heard about you developing a new jutsu?" asked Kyuubi as she fixed a look on her son that showed she had heard about his prank in class. Naruto gulped and was just about to give a half hearted excuse that he had to study for the exam when the door opened and Ken walked into the room.

"You made a new jutsu son? Well, lets see it!" said the Hokage. He knew Naruto had made a prank jutsu, but he didn't know what it was.

Naruto shot Sasuke a look that pleaded for help but the raven haired boy just smirked and said, "You're on you own bro," which caused Naruto's heart to plummet.

Naruto gathered his chakra and formed the seal for Henge. "Behold!" yelled the blond before he was hidden from view by a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a clothed version of Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu form was standing in front of his audience. Ken took one look and started laughing.

"Let me guess, the real version has no clothes on, right?" he gasped before collapsing on the couch. Kyuubi scowled at Naruto, who panicked and reverted to his normal appearance.

"Naruto, I know that playing tricks is in your blood, but please don't act like a pervert. Look at your father's sensei, he spends all his time peeping on host springs and writing those dirty novels. And the fact that you got the proportions so nicely shows you've been working on that for a while. If I was to search your room, would I find any of Kakashi's little books or dirty magazines hidden in there?" asked Kyuubi. Naruto gasped and stared at his mother in shock.

"No way, I would never read those kind of books or magazines! Not even for one hundred bowls of ramen! I just used your height for the legs and guessed the rest!" yelled Naruto. Kyuubi's scowl softened and she giggled before pulling Naruto into her arms for a hug.

"I know Naruto, you aren't a pervert," she said as she whipped the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. Silently, Kyuubi resolved to tie Jiraiya up and lock him in a room with Tsunade the next time she saw them together so the legendary healer could punish her old teammate for trying to corrupt her son. "I'm very flattered that you used me as a reference, but don't use that skill again!" Naruto nodded, while Sasuke was hiding his face in the pages of his book, hoping his mom didn't think of checking _his_ room. Sasuke had hidden some scrolls that he salvaged from his clan library in his room and one was titled How to Please Your Spouse. Though he hadn't read it yet, and didn't plan to until he knew who he wanted to marry, Sasuke knew that making sure that both people in a relationship were happy was important and didn't want to lose this guide. Ken finally recovered from his laugh attack and ruffled both boys' hair before heading into the kitchen to start the rice for their dinner.

(-)

The next day, Naruto, with Gishou wrapped around his shoulders, Hinata, and Sasuke were in their seats at the Academy fifth teen minutes early and eagerly awaiting the announcement of what they would have to do to pass the graduation exam. Iruka stood in front of the class and read off of a clipboard. "Now, for the graduation exam, you will do the Bushin no Jutsu. When you are called, come to the next room."

Naruto pouted, he had been hoping for something a little more exciting. 'Well, it isn't my best skill, but it isn't my worst,' he thought. His best skill was the Henge no Jutsu, while Kawarimi no Jutsu was his worst. He could do it, but he had to be extra careful when doing it so he didn't switch himself with something bigger than himself because of his huge chakra. Unknown to anyone, Naruto's chakra system was acting up today. If Hinata had looked at Naruto with her Byakugan, she would have seen what looked like a sixth tail starting to grow out from the location of his other tails as well as more chakra pathways spreading through his fingers and feet. But Hinata hadn't looked at Naruto with her bloodline active and couldn't see these important details.

(-)

Naruto entered the room where Iruka and the other teacher, Mizuki, sat behind a desk with a bunch of Konoha Hitai-ate resting in neat rows on the top. 'Here I go!' thought Naruto as he formed the seal and yelled "Bushin!"

There was a puff of smoke and Naruto turned to see two dead looking clones lying on the floor beside him. Naruto and Iruka's faces both bore looks of confusion, Naruto normally was good enough at managing his chakra that Iruka would have expected at least one good clone. Naruto's confusion was due to the fact that he had performed a perfect Bushin earlier this week in practice with his father. "Can I try again Iruka-sensei? I'm feeling a little strange today and that might be throwing me off," asked Naruto. Iruka nodded before Mizuki could make a comment. Naruto tried again, this time concentrating really hard on what he was doing. The smoke appeared and disappeared to reveal a chibi Naruto that yawned and sent to sleep.

"I'm sorry Naruto, maybe you can try again later," said Iruka with a frown. Naruto hung his head in shame.

"Iruka-sensei," said Mizuki, "He is the Hokage's son and he technically did make a clone that would distract an opponent. We could let him pass…" The blond teacher was interrupted by Naruto, surprisingly.

"No way, I'm not willing to graduate just because my dad is the Hokage! That wouldn't be fair to all the others who didn't pass!" exclaimed Naruto.

Iruka smiled and said, "You're right Naruto, your attitude is definitely right for Genin level, and I'm sorry you couldn't make it."

Naruto sighed and said, "Yeah. Look, can you not tell my parents, I want to go and tell them myself after class. I'll lay low, since I don't want to make a big deal about it." Iruka nodded, he knew that Naruto wanted to make his parents proud and going to tell them in person would show how mature he was and that he would be ready with a little more practice. There were only a few students left, so Naruto ran out of the room saying he had to visit the bathroom and hid until class was dismissed.

(-)

Naruto was walking through a back alley towards the Hokage tower to tell his father the bad news. He didn't want the villagers to see that he failed and bring disgrace to his family. Naruto stopped as his nose detected the presence of Mizuki behind him. "Mizuki-sensei?" asked the boy to show he knew the older man was there.

"Naruto, Iruka agreed to a special test for you. You have to sneak a certain scroll out of the Hokage Library and bring it to me in this clearing," here Naruto was handed a small map that showed the way to a clearing with a small shed in it, "you can graduate if you show me one of the techniques from this scroll." Naruto's face lit up and he tackled Mizuki in a hug.

"Thanks Sensei!" exclaimed Naruto before dashing off towards his dad's office. He knew his dad's habits well, he would be taking his lunch break at the hospital with his mom so they could spend some time together. Naruto strolled past the Jounin guards towards his dad's office, having used a Henge to make his goggles into a Hitai-ate and a Genjutsu of Gishou on his shoulders and looking like he was delivering the results of the exam to his dad's office. The guards smiled at Naruto and let him in, not even thinking to check for Genjutsu. Naruto grinned as he picked the lock on the library door, his fox hearing allowing him to hear the tumblers falling into place. Naruto quickly found the scroll Mizuki had mentioned and used a Henge on it to make it into Gishou before sticking a post-it note in the scroll's shelf that said, **Will return soon** so his dad wouldn't send the ANBU after him. With the fake Gishou now under his jacket, Naruto ran out past the guards, who smiled and waved at him again. Naruto easily made his way to the clearing and decided to take a look at the scroll. "Lets see, the first skill is Kage Bushin no Jutsu…this looks cool!" said Naruto as he started practicing the jutsu.

(-)

"Where is that dobe?" exclaimed Sasuke. The Uchiha boy and Hyuga heiress had been searching for Naruto after he didn't return from the restroom. They had waited for fifth teen minutes before starting to get worried. Upon reaching the bathrooms, Sasuke had gone in to see if Naruto was inside throwing up or had diarrhea. The bathroom was empty, as was the girl's when Hinata checked to make sure Naruto didn't go in there by accident and get knocked unconscious by an enraged girl. Gishou started sniffing around the bathrooms and found Naruto's scent. The three hurried after their friend, following his scent to the Hokage tower. Without a word to the guards the two graduates ran inside. One of the guards ran after them, not recognizing either of them at the speed they were moving, but was unable to keep up with the fast pace Sasuke set and accidentally slammed into a door that opened just after the two kids passed it. Bursting into the Hokage's office, Sasuke found himself staring at his adopted dad's desk since Ken was still on his lunch break. Gishou followed Naruto's scent to the Hokage library, where Hinata spotted a paperclip used to pick the lock. Naruto's scent led to the place where the scroll of Forbidden Seals had rested. There they found the note that Naruto had written.

It was at this moment Ken walked into his office to find his adopted son and his son's girlfriend standing in his private library and the scroll that he knew had been there when he was checking for something earlier that day wasn't there any more. "Hokage-sama, we think Naruto took the scroll that was here," said Hinata. Ken examined the note, it was Naruto's handwriting.

"Damn, this is bad. That scroll has many dangerous jutsu inside it that the previous Hokage's sealed away. Why would Naruto take it?" exclaimed Ken.

Sasuke though carefully about what had happened after Naruto left the examination room. He had been listening to the birds outside the classroom and had heard Naruto yelling something about not passing because he was the son of the Hokage faintly. He had ignored it, thinking someone was using Naruto to suck up to his dad, but now he wasn't so sure. "He might have failed the graduation exam," said Sasuke slowly. Ken, Hinata, and Gishou all turned to look at Sasuke in shock.

"What was the exam?" asked Ken. When he heard Bushin no Jutsu, his frown deepened. "Naruto did a perfect Bushin no Jutsu when we were training last week. You were hiding from your fan girls so you probably didn't see Sasuke, but he knows that jutsu. How could he have failed? Regardless, I want the two of you to go look for him. Iruka is going to be here in five minutes to discuss the exam results and I'll ask him about Naruto. If you find Naruto I want you two to stay with him." Sasuke and Hinata nodded and followed Gishou as he raced after his master's scent. Ken sighed and chucked a kunai at a wanted poster featuring a man with long black hair and yellow snake eyes. "This just isn't my day," sighed the Hokage as he sank into his chair to await Iruka and call his wife to ask her to come to his office as soon as possible. When Iruka heard what Naruto did, he immediately set out to look for his student. Passing Hinata and Sasuke, Iruka told them to stay back and let him investigate the situation before they made an appearance.

(-)

Naruto was exhausted. He had been practicing for a while and he had finally gotten the jutsu down. Naruto looked up as his nose picked up Iruka's scent. The Chunin loomed over Naruto with his hands on his knees. "I've found you!" gasped Iruka.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Hehehe you found me…I've only learned one skill."

Iruka stared at Naruto, confused about why the boy had the scroll of seals when he could have practiced in an empty classroom. "Naruto, why did you bring that scroll here?" he asked.

Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion as he said, "Mizuki-sensei told me about it and about this place. He said that if I showed you a skill from this scroll that I'd definitely graduate!"

Iruka suddenly pushed Naruto in the chest hard, sending the blond flying backwards. Naruto watched in shock as a hail of kunai pinned Iruka to the shed's outside wall. Naruto skidded to a stop and saw Mizuki crouched on a tree branch with two giant shuriken on his back. "Nice job in finding him," said the blond Chunin.

Iruka grabbed one of the kunai pinning him to the wall and grunted, "Now I get it, you planned all this as soon as you heard Naruto's speech on not getting a pass because of his father being the Hokage. You knew he would jump at the chance to prove he was worthy of graduating!"

Mizuki sneered and said, "Naruto, give me the scroll!"

Naruto looked from one teacher to another and yelled, "What the hell is going on here!"

Iruka pulled a kunai from his chest as he yelled, "Naruto, don't give him that scroll even if you die! That is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu sealed within it! Mizuki used you in order to get his hands on it!"

Mizuki smirked and said, "That's right, that scroll has a jutsu that will give a person the power of a demon! It's useless to a half breed like you!"

Naruto crouched down, chakra flaring around him as he battled to keep his emotions under control. Just before he was about to snap, Naruto heard a voice that calmed him down a bit. "Huh, letting a prejudiced bigot like him get to you Dobe?" asked Sasuke as he landed beside Naruto. Hinata was on his other side and Gishou had placed himself in front of them.

Mizuki grinned evilly as he pulled one of the giant shuriken from his back. "You pathetic little kids, hes nothing but a filthy half demon!" he yelled as he spun the weapon in preparation to throw it. Sasuke glared at Mizuki and flashed his hands through some seals.

'Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!' yelled Sasuke inside his head as he finished with the tiger seal and expelled chakra and air from his lungs. A giant fireball shot towards Mizuki, who easily leapt over it and threw the giant shuriken towards the three friends. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" yelled Mizuki and the giant shuriken became five giant shuriken. Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened and the prepared to leap out of the way. But Hinata leapt towards the incoming weapons.

'I have to protect them. I won't let my friends be hurt because I was to scared to move!' she thought before yelling "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" before releasing chakra from all the opening points on her body and spinning like a top. A blue wave of chakra surrounded Hinata and sent the giant shuriken flying back towards Mizuki, who pulled a quick Kawarimi to avoid them.

Hinata landed, exhausted from executing her clan's absolute defense. Sasuke darted forward to catch her and felt a huge surge of chakra behind him. Iruka managed to unpin himself and darted in front of his students. "I won't let you harm them Mizuki!" he yelled as he gripped a kunai tightly and prepared to defend his charges. Iruka suddenly collapsed, a strange paralysis coming over him. 'Poison!' he thought.

Mizuki grinned sadistically and yelled, "I forgot, my kunai were all poisoned. Hurry up and die!" before charging towards the group with his last giant shuriken spinning in his hand like a buzz saw.

'So this is it…' thought Iruka. 'Sasuke looks drained and Hinata is out cold. There is no way Naruto can dodge in time carrying that scroll and he won't abandon his friends'

An orange blur suddenly shot over Iruka's head and slammed into Mizuki's stomach, sending the traitor skidding across the ground. The blur turned into Naruto, who was crouching on the ground between Iruka and Mizuki. "Naruto, take the scroll and run!" yelled Iruka. Naruto's head turned to look at Iruka and the Chunin gasped along with Sasuke and Hinata, who had revived thanks to Sasuke shaking her. Naruto's normally bright blue eyes were now solid red and he radiated an aura of power. The same thought raced through all three minds, 'Naruto'.

"You should not have done that!" growled Mizuki as he started to get up.

Naruto turned to glare at him and started talking in a voice that was totally different from his usual cheerful tone, "Don't touch Iruka-sensei, Sasuke, or Hinata-chan! I'll kill you!" this voice was almost evil, and Hinata shuddered at the sound of it.

Mizuki prepared to make his move, saying, "Shut up! A punk like you I'll kill in one shot!"

Naruto placed his hands together so the index fingers were forming a cross seal. "Try it trash! I'll return the pain a thousand times over!"

"Then do it half breed!" roared Mizuki.

Iruka, Sasuke, and Hinata's eyes widened as Naruto roared "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" and the clearing was filled with Naruto clones. As Mizuki looked around in a panic, the Naruto clones all yelled, "What's wrong? Come at me! Weren't you going to kill me in one shot?" Naruto's friends and teacher stared at him in amazement as he yelled, "Well then, I'll start things off!" and all the clones charged Mizuki. The traitor screamed as the clones delivered a series of power filled kicks and punches before disappearing after landing their blow. Finally, only one Naruto was left and he charged Mizuki, who was barely standing. "Kasei tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" yelled Naruto as fire gathered around his claws and he slashed towards Mizuki. Mizuki collapsed to the ground, his right arm torn off completely by Naruto's last attack. Naruto turned and walked towards Iruka, Sasuke, and Gishou. The fox whimpered as he caught Naruto's scent.

Hinata saw that Naruto's eyes were still red and realized that he was still in combat mode. She scrambled out of Sasuke's arms and ran towards Naruto, ignoring her friend and teacher's cries to come back. Hinata stopped a few feet in front of Naruto, who stared at her with his red eyes. "Naruto-kun, you can calm down. We're safe. Naruto didn't say anything except to step towards Hinata slowly, his nose twitching as he sniffed her. Hinata let him come closer, holding her arms out to her sides so he could see her hands. As Naruto got nose to nose with Hinata, she suddenly hugged him and whispered, "Please come back to me Naruto-kun," and kissed Naruto on the lips. Naruto's body seemed to pulse with chakra for a second before his eyes returned to normal and he collapsed against Hinata and instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"Hinata, what happened?" he whispered.

"You just finished growing your sixth tail," said Kyuubi's voice, Naruto raised his head to see her helping Iruka sit up while Ken supported Sasuke. "It was supposed to grow in tonight, but I think puberty messed up you body. Your body needed time to adjust to the additional chakra your new tail grants you, so your chakra system was screwed up. That's why you couldn't do Bushin no Jutsu," she continued. "When you got angry at Mizuki, your kitsune blood took over and you used your claws to slice off his arm. But now I'm going to make that seem like nothing compared to what I'm about to do." As Kyuubi finished talking, she strode towards Mizuki and rolled up the sleeves of the lab coat she wore at the hospital. With a quick jutsu, Kyuubi stopped the blood from flowing from the stump where Mizuki's right arm used to be. As the traitor stared at her in confusion, Kyuubi's eyes turned red and she projected a large aura of killing intent. "Dear, do you mind if I make his death extremely long and painful?" she asked her husband. Ken nodded, he knew better than to deny his wife her vengeance. Kyuubi's hands started glowing green and the chakra formed a blade around her right hand. "Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel), it can cut through muscles and arteries or break bones without breaking the skin that covers them," said Kyuubi calmly, as if she was talking about the weather. Ken shuddered, he had only seen Kyuubi in this mood a few times and that was when Naruto or the other people she was close to were threatened. Kyuubi advanced on Mizuki, who was to scared to even think of moving. Kyuubi noted that Naruto's Bushins had made sure to kick or punch every part of Mizuki's body, including her current target.

Kyuubi raised her right hand and brought it down right between Mizuki's legs. The man screamed in pain as Kyuubi forever removed the possibility of him having children or even becoming aroused. Kyuubi disengaged the Chakra Enjintou and her hands then formed several hand seals that caused more green chakra to form around her hands. "Han Ketsuekigyouko (anti blood clotting) no jutsu, it is used in cases when you want a person to bleed freely, like to drain poison from their system. It prevents the blood in a targeted area from clotting. In this case, the target is where I just cut!" Ken and Iruka both winced, vowing to never get on Kyuubi's bad side. "He's all yours darling," said Kyuubi as she left Mizuki to her husband's care.

Ken slung Mizuki over his shoulder and said, "Morino Ibiki is waiting to have a little chat with you," before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Kyuubi smiled and started removing the paralyzing potion from Iruka's body. As soon as the Chunin had full control over his body he sat up and said, "Naruto, come over here… there's something I want to give you." When Naruto was in front of him, Iruka said, "Close your eyes." Naruto shrugged and did as he was told. Naruto waited for something to happen and felt Iruka adjusting his goggles. His ears twitched as he heard Hinata gasp softly and Sasuke grunt in surprise.

"Sensei, can I look now?" asked Naruto.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," said Iruka. Naruto did as instructed and saw Iruka smiling at him while holding his goggles. Iruka's forehead was bare and everyone was staring at Naruto's head. "Congratulations on graduating. Let's celebrate, I'll buy you a bowl of ramen," said Iruka. Naruto bowed his head for a minute before glomping Naruto and causing the teacher to exclaim, "Hey, that hurts!"

Kyuubi swept Naruto up in her arms and tails to hug him as she said, "I'm so proud of you Naruto! You mastered a Jounin level jutsu to save Hinata, Iruka, and Sasuke. And don't worry about the ramen bill Iruka, I'll be paying for tonight. After all, how often does a mother see both her boys graduate from the academy?" Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other for a second before grinning and giving themselves a high five. Hinata smiled as Naruto's tails wrapped around her waist to hug her while he congratulated his brother. Gishou was running in-between everyone's feet and barking happily. Ken returned from dropping off Mizuki and the whole group went to Ichiraku to get dinner.

**Well, first chapter is done. I can't promise I'll update this story quickly, but I'm reading the manga online as I type for accuracy. I might skip some parts, but all the major stuff and battles will still be here. As you have seen, Sasuke isn't a cold hearted bastard since he has been living with the Uzumaki family and is growing stronger through Ken's training. Next up: Tail 2 Konohamaru**


	3. Tail 2: Konohamaru

**Roar of the Dragon: Okay, this story is getting a lot of feed back and I'm inspired to write like crazy. **

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Tsunami, it will be aimed at little kids. That means all the good stuff like Sasuke and Naruto kissing, Sexy no Jutsu, and possibly the blood will be taken out. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did Naruto would be out in the US already with good dubbing.**

_Review Responses:_

_Kitsune-Itai: Naruto's chakra system was messed up because of his sixth tail coming in early. He could have passed it if his tail had started growing later in the evening like it was supposed to. Besides, he did make a good Bushin, it was just a chibi!_

_DarkGaara: No you would not, she could easily eat you up. _

_Black Knife: I am honored that you would rank my story so highly. I was actually inspired by Naruto's Mom, which shows Naruto growing up with a mother from our world. I enjoy all those stories you mentioned, but I'm not sure this story is meant to be put at the same level as such masterpieces._

_sand-nin-gurl: I'm trying to make some parts original, but most of the fights will have the same basic flow as the original, though some differences will occur._

_MaxFic: Thank you, grammar has always been a problem for me, so I'm glad to hear I improved._

_gold-case: Thank you, both for the praise for this story and my Inuyasha ones._

_ranma Hibiki: Mizuki made the mistake of attempting to hurt Kyuubi's kit, something you should never ever do if you want to live a long and happy life, so I think her reaction was acceptable._

_Story Weaver1: Glad to hear you liked both chapters. Yes, the chibis are the cutest things around. As I said over MSN chat, Naruto still had control of himself, just like the first time Inuyasha went full Youkai._

_Golden Kitsune Akira: I'm not sure about Sasuke going evil yet, he might but he might not. It really depends on if I see Sasuke in the manga soon and see how evil he is._

_Jiraiya: Thanks for the info, I thought Arashi was just an assumed name from SOC Puppet's fic. I was trying to be original with the name._

_Sephynarutocloud: Thank you for correcting me, I wasn't aware it was a bloodline ability, thanks for pointing it out. I just thought that since Naruto's clones use shuriken and kunai that can hurt an opponent that anyone can make shuriken and kunai clones._

_Patch5129: Yes, I love NaruHina fics, so I decided to write my own._

"I'm impressed Naruto, I thought you would try to act all macho for your picture," said Ken as he looked at the picture of Naruto that would go in the Ninja Registration book. Naruto had chosen to have Gishou perched on top of his head with his fox features showing. Both Gishou and Naruto sported identical foxy grins and Ken had to smile at the photo. Sarutobi, who was sitting in to watch the next generation of ninja hopefuls, also smiled at the picture of the boy he considered a second grandson. Naruto sometimes came to the former Hokage for advice when his father was away from Konoha or in a private meeting, so he was quite fond of the blond hanyou.

Naruto smiled as Gishou gave a short yawn from on top of his head. Both of them were proud to have gotten a good shot that would show both of them at their best. Two pairs of fox ears and two noses suddenly twitched as they detected someone by the door, someone familiar. Naruto smiled and used one of his tails to grab a kunai and conceal it in the tail's grasp. The door suddenly burst open and a little boy yelled, "Big bro! fight me!" as he lunged towards the seated Naruto with a shuriken in his hand. Naruto grinned as he prepared to show Sarutobi's grandson Konohamaru that he wasn't ready for the Hokage name for the third time this week. The little boy idolized Naruto and had made it his goal to become as good as his hero was.

Before Naruto could even begin to move, a person could be heard approaching. "Oh! Not again!" yelled the person just before they skidded to a stop in the door. It was Konohamaru's sensei Ebisu. The teacher's entrance was all the distraction Konohamaru needed to trip on his scarf and fall flat on his face. As Ebisu gasped in shock, Konohamaru angrily climbed to his feet.

"You idiot, you startled me and gave away my position!" yelled the boy as he chucked the shuriken at Ebisu, only to watch the man catch the weapon between two fingers. Naruto grinned and placed his kunai in his holster before standing up and stretching.

"Well dad, I'm off to relax for the rest of the day. I'll see you at home tonight!" said Naruto. Ken nodded and Naruto ran out the door with Gishou at his heels. As they walked down the street towards the Hyuga house to meet up with Hinata, Naruto smiled as his ears and nose revealed Konohamaru shadowing him by hiding behind telephone polls. Naruto spun around and stared at a particular section of the fence that had the boards running horizontally as apposed to the vertical boards that made up the rest of the fence. "You aren't fooling anyone Konohamaru, I can smell you hiding there!" called Naruto as he pointed to Konohamaru's hiding place. The young ninja-wannabe lowered his camouflage cloth and smirked at Naruto.

"Just what I expected from my arch rival!" exclaimed Konohamaru as he put away the cloth and walked up to Naruto. Naruto sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"What do you want Konohamaru, I wanted to spend today with my friends since we're being divided into our genin teams tomorrow and might not get to spend as much time together as usual.

Konohamaru scowled and yelled, "I want you to teach me that Sexy no Jutsu you defeated Iruka-sensei with! Please! I need it to beat four eyes!" Naruto scratched the back of his head. He knew he shouldn't teach Konohamaru the jutsu, but the small devil Naruto was making a very convincing argument in the young boy's favor while the angel Naruto could be seen acting like he wasn't listening. Konohamaru started begging on hands and knees and Naruto finally had enough.

"Allright, I'll teach you the jutsu, just leave me alone!" exclaimed Naruto. He then led Konohamaru to one of the forest training grounds that had some soda machines under a wooden awning. "OK! The basics are to picture the prettiest woman you can without clothes and use henge to transform into her! Now do it!" yelled Naruto. Konohamaru formed the seals Naruto showed to him and yelled "Transform!" The usual cloud of smoke appeared to obscure Konohamaru from view. When the smoke cleared, Naruto saw an, thankfully clothed in a swimsuit, extremely fat girl that no guy would even glance at. "NO! More slender! More beautiful!" yelled Naruto.

Gishou howled in agony and tried to scratch his eyes out, yelling, "Agh, my virgin eyes! Why was I cursed to see such a sight! Oh the agony!"

* * *

At this moment, Ebisu was searching for his student. "Huh? Damn! He got away again!" yelled the tutor as he looked around Ken's office for a sign of Konohamaru. Ebisu had been trying to suck up to Sarutobi and Ken when Konohamaru slipped out and neither the present or past Hokage wanted to let the annoying man drive Konohamaru into hiding. 

"Looks like he followed my son," said Ken with a smirk, he new Ebisu disliked Naruto ever since the boy rigged a bucket of paint to fall on the tutor when he was trying to teach Naruto. Naruto had wanted to go to the Academy with Sasuke and Hinata, not get pampered with a tutor, and decided the best way to convince his parents of this was to make the tutor's life a living hell. Ebisu's first day on the job resulted in him going home early covered in paint, feathers, mud, glue, some leftovers that had started to mold, and the contents of a stink bomb. Ken and Kyuubi had asked Naruto why he had done such a large scale prank and the hanyou boy had yelled that he didn't want special treatment because he was Ken's son. The special tutor had hated Naruto ever since and the feeling was mutual. Ebisu ran out of the office to hunt down his wayward student and Naruto.

* * *

Naruto and Konohamaru were sitting on a log drinking some sodas while they waited for Konohamaru's chakra to refill. Naruto was telling the younger boy some of the pranks he had played recently that he hadn't heard about, while Konohamaru listened eagerly to his idol. Naruto even showed the kid Kage Bushin no Jutsu, which got a squeal of "Sugoi!" from Konohamaru. Soon, though, Konohamaru's happy mood evaporated and he started to look rather depressed. Seeing his young protégé so down in the dumps, Naruto asked what was wrong. 

"You're lucky Naruto-ni-chan, you've gotten people to respect you for you skills instead of your family. Even though everyone knows my name is Konohamaru, nobody ever calls me that. When everyone sees me or calls me, all they see is Sandaime's grandson. Nobody except you, your parents, Hinata-ne-chan, and Sasuke-ni-chan call me Konohamaru and I'm sick of that."

Naruto grimaced; he to knew what it was like to be addressed with respect only because of his family. Many villagers called him 'Honored Son' in an attempt to gain favor with his family and him. Only the people that knew him well called him Naruto.

Naruto had also seen an occasional glance of fear sent in his direction over the years as his tails grew in and he became stronger if his hanyou features were visible, sometimes he forgot to hide them and the older villagers would make signs to ward off demons when he walked by. It didn't help that a bear youkai had broken into the village in an attempt to kill Naruto, claiming the boy was an abomination and should be destroyed, only to get torn apart by Kyuubi in her fox form. The incident had alerted many of the villagers to the dangers of having Naruto walking around, but most of them liked Naruto and wouldn't want to see him driven away. The few that didn't like Naruto were the victims of his pranks or had a grievance against his father from a past encounter.

"Konohamaru, I can only give you some advice. Train hard and never give up and you'll someday you'll earn the respect you deserve. Now why do you think my Sexy no Jutsu will allow you to defeat old four eyes?" said Naruto.

Konohamaru's grin returned and it was different than before. This was the grin of someone who was about to call in poker and knew they had the winning hand. "I saw him disguised in a trench coat coming out of the store that sells dirty books when I was playing Hide and Seek with some of the other kids. He was also blushing and looking around to make sure no one saw him," said the little boy.

Naruto laughed and said, "Great, I think you're ready to face him. After that, keep training and when you're ready to attempt to claim the Hokage name you can challenge me for it!" Konohamaru grinned and the two boys clinked their soda cans together as a toast to seal the deal while Gishou wagged his tails. Gishou's tails suddenly stiffened and he growled, alerting Naruto and Konohamaru that they weren't alone anymore.

* * *

Ken stood on the roof of the Hokage tower with Sarutobi, looking up at the monument that bore their faces. Both men turned as the light sound of a person landing on the roof reached their trained ears. "Ah Iruka, how are you feeling?" asked Sarutobi as he smiled at the Chunin. 

"Fine sir, Kyuubi-sama had me patched up in no time. I still find it hard to believe Mizuki would betray the village and try to use Naruto to steal the scroll of forbidden seals," said Iruka.

Ken sighed and said, "Kyuubi has told me that hanyou children are often tormented because humans and youkai alike view them as abominations. Because of all that Kyuubi has done for this village and the fact that many people got to know her in her kitsune form, Naruto doesn't face the prejudice of most of the villagers. However, he still feels the need to be accepted for himself instead of being our son. Thus Mizuki was able to trick him into taking the scroll instead of offering to just let him pass and appealing to Naruto's sense of honor. Naruto actually did a good job, managing a Henge to fool the guards and hide the scroll. The only reason I knew he had the scroll was because Sasuke and Hinata came looking for him and he left a note saying he would return it soon."

Sarutobi and Iruka both laughed at the thought of a shinobi leaving a note promising to return something they stole and all three men went inside Ken's office to discuss the arrangement of the genin teams.

* * *

"I've finally found you," said Ebisu from his perch on a tree branch above Naruto and Konohamaru's seat. The tutor glared at Naruto, reminded of the humiliation the boy had put him through in front of his father and mother, before leaping to the ground and saying, "Young Master, let's go home now." 

Konohamaru glared at Ebisu and yelled, "No!" I'll defeat you and prove I'm worthy of being called Konohamaru instead of Honored Grandson and all that crap!"

Ebisu gasped at his student's language and said "This little brat has been a bad influence on you Young Mast…" only to be cut off by Konohamaru yelling, "Behold!" as a cloud of smoke surrounded the boy.

The smoke cleared to reveal a beautiful brown haired girl with her hands behind her head and wisps of smoke covering her most private parts. "Take this, Sexy no Jutsu!" cooed the transformed Konohamaru. Ebisu's jaw dropped and Konohamaru dropped the transformation in surprise. "What? Why didn't it work!" he demanded.

Ebisu started shrieking, "What a vulgar skill! I am a gentleman; such a super low-class skill will never work against me." Ebisu failed to notice that Naruto's face had darkened as his, in his mind at least, greatest creation was ridiculed. "Young Master, if you hang out with the likes of him you'll just turn stupid! Just do what I say. I am your easiest short-cut to gaining the respect you deserve as a future Hokage!" growled Ebisu as he grabbed Konohamaru's scarf and tried to pull him out of the clearing while the little boy yelled, "NO!" and tried to fight the man's strength.

A yell of "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" grabbed the attention of tutor and pupil and they looked up to see a large group of Naruto standing opposite them. Ebisu dropped Konohamaru's scarf and assumed a combat stance. "Heh, how foolish, I am an elite tutor. I'm not so easily fooled like that idiot Mizuki!"

"Oh yeah, well feast your eyes on this! Behold!" yelled all the Naruto clones. All the clones suddenly performed Sexy no Jutsu and rushed Ebisu, rubbing themselves against him and grabbing him all over his body. The tutor stared wide eyed, while Konohamaru found his view obscured by Gishou covering his eyes. Ebisu stared for another second and then went flying as two huge gushers of blood shot out of his nose.

* * *

Unknown to the four in the clearing, Ken had decided to check on the boys and was watching the whole thing with Sarutobi in his crystal ball. The former Hokage had a pale face and jerked his eyes away from the scene in the orb, while Ken stared wide eyed. "I was right, the real jutsu is nude," groaned Ken before he covered his eyes. 'Now I have to give Naruto **The Talk** a lot earlier than I thought,' sighed Ken to himself.

* * *

Back in the clearing, all of the clone girls vanished, though one was seen kicking Ebisu in the head to make sure he stayed out before she disappeared with a huge smirk on her face, and Naruto reverted to normal and winked at Konohamaru. "I call that one Harem no Jutsu!" said Naruto proudly.

* * *

The adults watching through the crystal ball were impressed with Naruto's skill at using his Kage Bushin no Jutsu. "He combined the Kage Bushin and the Sexy no Jutsu," said Ken with a smirk as he passed Sarutobi a Kleenex to clean the slight trickle of blood coming from his nose. The former Hokage nodded, secretly glad he had gotten the chance to witness such an _interesting_ technique.

* * *

"Damn it! I couldn't even defeat my own tutor!" yelled Konohamaru as he punched the ground in anger. Naruto sighed and settled down to lecture the boy a little while Gishou curled up at their feet. Ebisu was currently hanging from a tree upside down clad in nothing but his underwear with a sign saying 'village idiot' taped to his chest and a gag made from his shirt stuffed in his mouth to keep him quiet. 

"You just have to be patient and work hard Konohamaru. If you rush into everything you'll never beat this closet pervert and certainly never beat me. Ask your grandpa to teach you some simple jutsu, he's called the Professor because he knows how to use so many jutsu. Don't listen to Ebisu, there are no short cuts in life. You have to work hard and someday you'll have the respect you want. Now come on, I think I could use some ice cream!" said Naruto with a smile. Konohamaru grinned and jumped up with a smile as Gishou climbed up Naruto to perch in the blond's hair. The trio left the clearing, ignoring Ebisu's muffled demands to be set free.

* * *

"Hi Hinata-chan!" yelled Naruto as he entered the ice cream parlor with Konohamaru to find Hinata enjoying a sundae with her little sister Hanabi while Neji happily ate a huge banana split. Naruto ordered a scoop of strawberries and cream with a scoop of marble black raspberry for himself while Konohamaru got two scoops of brownies ala mode. Hanabi had a blush on her cheeks as Konohamaru and Naruto joined the Hyuga members in the booth. Naruto, Hinata, and Neji all smiled as they saw the way Hanabi tried to look at Konohamaru without giving herself away and failed miserably. Konohamaru was totally oblivious to Hanabi's stare and focused all his attention on his ice cream. Gishou was perched on Naruto's head chewing on a piece of the jerky Naruto always carried in his supply pouch for his pet's consumption. 

"How do you think the teams will be arranged Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Hinata tilted her head back for a minute and pictured the people who had passed the graduation exam. "I don't know for sure Naruto-kun, but I think Ino-chan, Shikamaru, and Chouji will be together, their families have a history of working together well and they have all known each other since they were able to walk." Naruto nodded, his father had told him stories about the famous Ino, Shika, Chou teams to show him the value of teamwork at a young age.

"Hey, maybe that means you, Sasuke, and I will be on the same team Hinata-chan!" said Naruto with a grin. Hinata giggled, Naruto currently had a bit of ice cream on the tip of his nose. Hinata reached across the table and dabbed Naruto's nose with a napkin, causing the blond to blush slightly. Neji grinned; he had watched them playing together as small children and knew how fond they were of each other. Naruto turned to watch Konohamaru clutch his head in pain. "Ice cream headache?" asked the hanyou with a grin. His only answer was a moan as Konohamaru rested his head in his arms on the table.

Hanabi giggled slightly as Konohamaru groaned, "The pain, just let me die in peace," before resuming the consumption of his ice cream. Hinata passed Konohamaru an aspirin from her pouch of medical supplies, an item she had always carried after figuring out how often Naruto hurt himself when they were playing and didn't do anything to treat his wounds. Of course, since he was a hanyou they healed quickly and he didn't get sick easily, but Hinata knew that at some point Naruto would find himself out of chakra and unable to heal for awhile and requiring medical attention. "Thanks Hinata-nee-san," said Konohamaru as he swallowed the pill with a bite of ice cream. Konohamaru had been babysat by Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata a few times so the older kids could earn some extra pocket money and Konohamaru repaid their kindness by treating them like older siblings. After that, everyone enjoyed their ice cream and talked about little things.

When everyone was finished, Naruto walked Konohamaru to his house while Neji lead his cousins back to the Hyuga mansion. Naruto and Hinata agreed to arrive at the Academy early the next day to spend some time with their friends before they were all separated into different teams. After dropping Konohamaru off at his house, Naruto jogged towards his house with Gishou at his heals. The sounds of flesh hitting wood from the backyard reached the pair's ears and they entered the backyard to find Sasuke pummeling a wooden training dummy.

"Hey Sasuke, you want to spar?" asked Naruto as Sasuke stopped beating up the defenseless dummy and turned to look at his brother while wiping the sweat from his forehead. Sasuke nodded and the two boys settled into their preferred taijutsu stances. Sasuke was using a stance that allowed him to attack and defend easily, while Naruto was leaned back slightly on his back leg and held his hands in front of his body so he could use his claws to his advantage. Naruto's ears and tails twitched slightly as he stared at Sasuke. Both boys were waiting for a certain leaf to hit the ground between them. As soon as it hit the ground, Naruto turned into a blond and orange blur as he charged at Sasuke. The two boys met in mid air and delivered a series of punches and kicks that were either blocked or dodged. They then broke apart and landed on the ground.

"Not bad Sasuke, now its time to kick it up a notch," said Naruto as blue fire surrounded his hands and feet. Sasuke grinned and pulled out several kunai and shuriken. The Uchiha boy then used his incredible skill with the projectile weapons to send a bunch of kunai at Naruto while shuriken homed in on the hanyou from above and below. Naruto narrowed his eyes and back flipped away from the projectiles to grab a tree branch and use it to soar into the air above Sasuke. Flames appeared around Naruto's right foot as he brought it down at Sasuke's head. Sasuke crossed his arms and blocked the blow before shifting his arms in an attempt to grab Naruto's leg as the flames faded. Naruto's tails shot around his body and wrapped themselves around Sasuke's arms as he attempted to throw Naruto. Sasuke was the one sent sailing through the air and he barely managed to land safely.

"Boys, that is enough, it is time for dinner," said Kyuubi from the back door of the house. Naruto and Sasuke stopped their sparing and went inside. Kyuubi had returned to the kitchen and was preparing orange chicken for dinner to celebrate the boys' graduation. She had originally planned the celebratory dinner for the previous evening, but Iruka's offer for ramen had taken priority since he had wanted to celebrate Mizuki's defeat at Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke's hands.

Ken sighed as he hung his Hokage robes up in the closet. Arranging the genin teams had been a hassle and he was glad to have that ordeal behind him. The sounds from downstairs told him that Naruto was setting the table with Sasuke while Kyuubi finished preparing dinner. Ken smiled, it wasn't often that he was able to get out early enough for a relaxing dinner with his family like this. Often, Ken found himself working late or Kyuubi had an emergency to deal with that prevented them from being home for dinner. Luckily, Naruto and Sasuke could prepare some basic foods for themselves so they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry. Ken made sure he had the two large boxes that had been delivered to his office earlier that day and headed down stairs for the celebration dinner.

* * *

"Oh, that was great. Excellent dinner Oka-san!" said Naruto as he rubbed his belly in contentment. Gishou yipped his agreement, while Sasuke made a grunt of approval. 

"Come on Sasuke, is that all you have to say?" asked Kyuubi. Sasuke stared at the kitsune woman for a minute before actually smiling and taking a sip of water to clear his throat.

"It was a good meal, one of your best yet Oka-san," said the Uchiha boy. Naruto was joking about how he missed the chance to capture the rare and elusive Sasuke's smile on film and become the most famous photographer of all time. Sasuke promptly tossed what was left of his glass of water in Naruto's face and told him to shut up. Naruto countered by poking Sasuke with one of his chopsticks. Sasuke grabbed the other chopstick and the two boys were soon engaged in a fencing match with their chopsticks while Kyuubi was breathless with laughter.

Ken grinned at the boys' antics and reached down to pick up the packages he had brought down stairs. "Okay boys, I've got some special surprises for you two since you passed the graduation exam. So to celebrate your graduation, your mother and I got you these special gifts," said Ken with a smile. Naruto and Sasuke instantly stopped their fight and grabbed the package Ken handed to each of them. The boys eagerly ripped open the wrapping paper and gasped at what they found inside.

Kyuubi grinned at the looks on the boys' faces and said, "These Hitai-ate plates are made from one of my fangs and will allow any kitsune to track you down in an emergency. The cloth is woven from some of my hair and is fire proof, making it very useful since you both like to play with flames." Naruto and Sasuke both looked down at the ground, remembering the time they made a huge burn on the front lawn when practicing with foxfire and a Katon jutsu together.

Ken cleared his throat before saying, "Each of you gets a special set of weapons that I believe is best suited to your particular fighting style made from another of your mother's fangs. Sasuke, you have three Fuuma Shuriken that are capable of being set on fire by a drop of your blood on the kanji for 'fire' you see on all the blades. Simply slit your finger on one of the blades and put the blood on one of the marks before saying tenka (Ignition). I know you've been training with that Fuuma Shuriken I have in the dojo, so now you have some of your own. Naruto, you have this katana. You have grasped the basics of swordsmanship from me and I think it is time for you to have your own sword. Never let the sword out of your possession, both of your gifts are designed to seal your kitsune blood and prevent it from taking control of you like it almost did yesterday. If your kitsune blood takes control of you, you might end up killing your friends by accident because your instincts will overpower your mind and cause you to attack anything you perceive as a threat." Naruto's face paled and he gripped the sheathed katana like it was his only hold on reality.

Seeing Naruto's face so pale, Sasuke chuckled and said, "As if you could hurt me or Hinata Dobe. I saw her calm you down yesterday with a hug and a kiss. Your instincts recognized her as your future mate, even though you two aren't at that stage yet, and allowed you to relax and regain control of your mind."

Kyuubi nodded to confirm what Sasuke said. "He's right son, by nature we kitsune won't harm those we recognize as loved ones when we're out for blood, which can be a problem. If Hinata is ever a hostage your instincts will be screaming to go after her and that might cost her life. Starting tomorrow I'll send one of my foxes to keep watch on you at all times and step in if your instincts get to out of control," said the kitsune woman as she kissed Naruto's head. Naruto relaxed slightly, though he didn't let go of his new sword.

* * *

That night, Kyuubi eased open the door to Naruto's room to catch a glimpse of her son. Naruto was snoring gently while he clutched a large stuffed frog his father had given him for his birthday several years ago. Naruto suddenly started twitching in his sleep, troubled by an unpleasant dream. Kyuubi smiled and carefully walked over to give Naruto a kiss on his forehead. The hanyou boy sighed and settled down, easing back into the world of happy dreams. Kyuubi tucked Naruto in snugly and softly closed the door to his room. The kitsune woman's next stop was Sasuke's room, where she saw him hugging his pillow and moaning, "Fan girls, save me from the fan girls! No, don't cut off locks of my hair! Let go of me, I don't want to go on a date with you! Get your hands out of my pants!" Kyuubi stared at Sasuke in shock before darting to his side and gently shaking him awake. 

Sasuke sat up in shock, cold sweat covering his forehead as he panted from the fear of his nightmare. "Relax Sasuke, it was just a bad dream!" said Kyuubi as she placed a hand on his forehead. Sasuke took several deep breaths to calm himself and suddenly hugged Kyuubi tightly and shuddered from the horror he had been forced to endure and the feeling of violation that clung to him. Kyuubi's tails and arms embraced Sasuke and he collapsed into her grasp with a sigh of relief. "My poor boy, even in your sleep your fan girls chase you. Lay down and I'll sing you a song to drive away the nightmares." Sasuke did as he was told and listened as Kyuubi sang to him. Little by little Sasuke fell asleep again and Kyuubi tucked him in and kissed his cheek.

"Oka-san," muttered Sasuke softly, causing Kyuubi to smile. It wasn't often that Sasuke called her that, since he felt it was disrespectful to his dead mother, but he knew she loved him just as much as she loved Naruto. Kyuubi closed the door and walked to the room she shared with Ken. Her husband was waiting on the bed, clad only in boxers with the Uzumaki spiral covering them. Ken glanced up from the book, Giving your Child the Talk, which he was reading in preparation of explaining the birds and the bees to Naruto and Sasuke since they would be having a female team mate the next day and should know the facts of life.

"Boys asleep?" asked Ken as Kyuubi opened her sleeping robe to reveal a simple night gown before climbing into the bed with him. Kyuubi nodded as she snuggled up against Ken, who marked his place in the book before setting it on his bed side table and turning off his reading light. Now free of distractions, Kyuubi kissed her husband on the lips hard, her tails and arms wrapping around him as his hands rubbed her back. One thing led to another and the moon eventually saw the two most powerful people in the village curled up in each other's arms contentedly.


	4. Tail 3: Genin Exam

**Roar of the Dragon: A lot of people mentioned that Sakura could be Naruto and Sasuke's teammate, but this is an AU and I have someone else in mind. So sorry for you Sakura fans, you won't be seeing much of her. This means she can be stronger in the Chunin Exam, since she isn't focusing on Sasuke every day.**

_Review Responses:_

_Cobra-100: I'm trying to keep to the basics of the original storyline, but the Genin Exam for Team 7 will be changed a lot. Naruto and Hinata are only 12, they aren't going to be doing any naughty stuff on long missions, they're only at the cuddling stage. The future mate thing just means they know they want to get married when they are old enough._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Yes, another Naruto convert! Search for Naruto Chuusin and you should be all set to read scans of the manga._

_Story Weaver1: Just wait till you see the gifts in action! Some more humor in this chapter, as well as some action._

_Black Knife: I hope the week long wait wasn't to long for you. You'll find out the teams in this chapter._

_Mrasdfghj: Yeah, Jiraiya will be in the story, he'll show up a little earlier than in the original story._

_PersonaJXT: I've already resolved the issue of the Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu issue and name issue. Put yourself in Sasuke's position: a bunch of girls you have no interest in rapes you. You'd feel violated to._

_God in a Box: I actually have a plan for Neji. After the attempt on Hinata, he trains as hard as he can to become strong enough to protect her in the future. He also wishes to challenge Naruto, so he knows he has to work hard and will have researched youkai so he can create a jutsu to try to take advantage of Naruto's kitsune blood._

The sun dawned on Konoha the next day without a cloud in the sky. A beam of sunlight slipped through the blinds of Naruto's room and hit him in the eye. Naruto whined, not wanting to get up, and buried his head under his pillow. Thus the scene that Kyuubi saw when she opened the door to her son's room was a giant lump in the middle of the bed and a blond tail sticking out from beneath the covers. Gishou was curled up in the sunbeam on top of the lump and gave a sleepy yip to greet Kyuubi. A low snore from beneath the covers signaled that Naruto was in need of awakening. Kyuubi grinned and shifted into her fox form, though keeping herself at the size of a large dog, and darted under the covers to lick her son's face. Naruto started giggling and finally opened his eyes to see his mother's fox face staring at him. "Morning Oka-san!" said Naruto as he blinked the sand from his eyes. Kyuubi grinned and hopped off the bed to resume her human form and open the blinds covering the window. Naruto managed to stumble out of his bed and make it to the bathroom for his morning shower and grooming. Sasuke had apparently beaten Naruto to the shower since his towel and toothbrush were wet. Naruto quickly showered and groomed himself before running to the stairs. Opting to take the fast route down, Naruto slid down the banister to the bottom floor with Gishou on his back. Unfortuneatly, Naruto crashed right into his father as he came in the door from getting the daily Konoha newspaper. Father and son ended up in a pile on the floor of the front hall of the house.

Ken sighed as he stared at his son, who was doing a handstand on his stomach. "Naruto, what have we told you about sliding down the banisters?" growled Ken, doing a remarkable imitation of an angry youkai. Naruto gulped and rolled so he was sitting on his father's chest.

"Ummm, not to do it?" guessed Naruto as he put on his most innocent smile. Ken smirked and grabbed his son by the tails as he stood up and raised Naruto so they were eye to eye.

"Then why did you slide down the banister this morning?" asked Ken. His tone was pleasant, but Naruto could see the anger at his disregard for safety shining clearly.

Naruto gulped and said, "I was anxious to get to the Academy with Sasuke so we can find out our genin teams!"

"Koibito, we can forgive him this once, Sasuke is already in here waiting for breakfast and Naruto must be hungry," called Kyuubi from the kitchen as she placed a plate of pancakes in front of Ken's seat. Sasuke was patiently sitting at the table and staring at his omelet, waiting to devour the morsel and dash out the door to the Academy. The Hitai-ate that he had received the previous evening rested proudly on his forehead, and Naruto had to check to make sure he had remembered to put his on instead of his goggles, which he had.

Naruto wiggled out of his father's grip and ran into the kitchen to breathe in the aroma of his pancakes and omelet. Gishou was already eating his breakfast from the bowl Kyuubi placed on the floor for him, not having to put up with the silly human custom of manners. Naruto sighed, he was half tempted to use Henge to become a fox and scarf his meal before running to the academy, but he knew his mom would kill him if he did that. Finally, everyone was seated and the meal began. Ken and Kyuubi watched with smiles on their faces as Sasuke and Naruto ate as fast as they could without choking, eager to get to the Academy. No sooner had the two boys finished than their dishes were in the sink and two blurs had zipped upstairs to brush their teeth before coming downstairs to kiss their mother good bye and let their father ruffle their hair before they ran off towards the academy with Gishou chasing after them, yelling for Naruto to stop and pick him up.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he watched his fellow graduates gather in groups to talk from his seat next to Hinata. Sasuke was in 'enter my personal space and die' mode, so the couple had put themselves in between Sasuke and any fan girls that would lose their lives by trying to talk to Sasuke. Kiba walked over with Akamaru in his jacket and raised an eyebrow as his gaze fell on Naruto. "Huh? Naruto, what the hell are you doing here? I heard a rumor that you failed the exam…" said Kiba, not wanting to lose his friend and sparring partner. Naruto grinned and pointed to his Hitai-ate.

"Does it look like I failed? I just had a bit of an imbalance in my chakra system that Oka-san fixed, so I passed the test later," said Naruto, not wanting to reveal he had mastered a Jounin level jutsu in a few hours. Kiba grinned and gave Naruto a high five, while Gishou and Akamaru had both hopped to the floor and were conversing in growls, barks, and yips. Naruto looked around and saw all his friends had passed the exam, not that he doubted them.

A sudden growl beside Kiba was all the warning anyone had before Kiba and Akamaru started wrestling. The two pets were quickly concealed by a cloud of dust and slammed into Naruto's chair as he turned to look at them. The fox boy fell towards Hinata and his head landed in her lap. The sudden impact caused Naruto's fox features to appear. Hinata blushed and reached down to pet Naruto's fox ears. "I could get to like this," said Naruto with a grin, not minding all the stares he was getting. Sure, people knew his mother was a kitsune, but seeing fox ears and tails suddenly appear on him had driven that fact home for many of the kids. Behind everyone's backs, Akamaru and Gishou smacked paws to congratulate each other on successfully getting Naruto into his current position.

* * *

Iruka cleared his throat loudly to turn the class's attention from Naruto and Hinata onto himself. "Beginning today you are all real ninjas…but you are still merely rookie genin. The hard part has just started. Now you will soon be assigned duties by the village. So today, we will be creating three man teams and each team will have a Jounin sensei. You will follow that sensei's instructions as you complete the assigned duties," said the Chunin. Instantly, all the girls but Hinata fixed their eyes on Sasuke and thought 'I have to be with Sasuke-kun!'

Sasuke shuddered, not daring to open his eyes and see the lustful look aimed at him. 'Kami-sama, please put me with Naruto and Hinata and not two rabid fan girls like Sakura and Ino. Heck, I'd even settle for being stuck with two gay guys!' Sasuke ranted inside his head. Iruka's next words calmed Sasuke down a little, though.

"We tried to balance each team's strength," said Iruka as he held up a clipboard and ignored the loud yell of "What?" that all the students uttered. Naruto listened with half an ear, only giving Iruka his full attention when the teacher said, "Next, Team 7… Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto," here Iruka was interrupted by a loud squeal of happiness from Hinata, who immediately hugged Naruto's tails in delight while Naruto glanced around the room to make sure none of the other boys had looks of disappointment, since Hinata was one of the most popular girls in the class. Iruka smiled inside his head as he announced the last member of Team 7, "and Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto and Sasuke grinned at each other and leaned back in their seats with huge foxy grins on their faces. All the girls in the class had slumped down on their desks in disappointment at not being with the class heart throb. Iruka sighed and grinned as he saw the next team. "Team 8, Inuzuka Kiba & Akamaru, Aburame Shino, and Haruno Sakura," said Iruka. Kiba gave a small howl of woe that he was with one of the loudest girls in the class. Sakura on the other hand moaned as she felt a headache coming on. Naruto didn't care about the next team, but the next one caught his attention. Iruka raised his voice a little to be heard above Sakura's moans and said, "Team 10, Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino." Chouji just stuffed chips into his mouth with more speed, happy to have his lazy friend on the same team.

Shikamaru groaned and stared out the window as he sighed, "Troublesome."

Iruka finished announcing the teams and looked around the classroom. He already had a pretty good idea which of the groups would pass the genin exam that their Jounin instructor would give them. "Ok, this afternoon we'll introduce the Jounin senseis. Take a break until then," said Iruka with a smile.

* * *

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were all perched on the branch of the tree outside the academy eating their lunch. Naruto had a thermos next to him holding hot water for his ramen while Hinata enjoyed a sushi bento and Sasuke munched on a batch of onigirii Kyuubi had made the previous day. Gishou was enjoying his can of ground hamburger between Naruto and Hinata while Naruto was enjoying the way Hinata was petting his tails as she ate and Sasuke could hear a low purr coming from his brother.

"Hey Dobe, since when do foxes purr?" asked Sasuke. Naruto stopped purring and glared at Sasuke.

"It isn't purring it is happy growling!" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke smirked, but before he could offer a retort, his 'danger' sense started tingling. Sasuke looked at the ground and sure enough, there were Sakura and Ino.

"Sasuke-kun, I made this bento for you. You must be hungry after just having those onigirii!" exclaimed both the girls at the same time as they each held up a wrapped bento box. Both of the girls then glared at their 'rival' for Sasuke's heart and made Hinata glad she didn't have a rival. When both girls looked up to see if Sasuke was prepared to except their bento and love, they found a sign saying 'leave me alone' where Sasuke had been sitting while Naruto and Hinata struggled to contain their laughter at Sasuke's blunt denial of the girls beneath them.

"I'm so glad I don't have to worry about anyone stealing my Naruto-kun," said Hinata with a smile as she hugged Naruto's tails. Sakura and Ino looked jealous at the love the two shared and ran off to look for Sasuke. As soon as they were gone, the sign disappeared with a poof on smoke and became Sasuke.

"Idiots, they were looking right at you and didn't realize it!" said Naruto with a chuckle as he lightly punched Sasuke on the shoulder. A bell rang, indicating the lunch break was over and the new genin trooped back into the classroom for the assignment of their Jounin sensei.

Naruto, Gishou, Sasuke, and Hinata sat waiting as all the other teams sensei's entered the room and left with their team. A pretty female Jounin named Kurenai led Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Sakura away while the chain smoker Asuma took Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino too a Korean barbeque place. Finally, Iruka and Team 7 were the only ones left in the room.

* * *

"Where the hell is our instructor?" yelled Naruto. It had been three hours since lunch and the blond was bored.

"Maybe they were on a mission and just got back and had to speak with your father?" suggested Hinata.

Naruto scowled and was about to make some rude comment about tardy teachers when he froze. "Sasuke, could our Jounin sensei possibly be **_him_**? No one else I know is this late." asked the blond.

Sasuke looked surprised for a minute, but then his eyes narrowed and he nodded. "It makes sense, father was his Jounin sensei and he has a Sharingan surgically placed in his left eye so he could teach me how to use mine when I finally activate it…"

Hinata was confused, obviously her teammates knew or guessed who their instructor was and were familiar with him. "Ano, but who are you talking about?" she asked.

Naruto sighed and said, "Our sensei is most likely Hatake Kakashi. He's one of Konoha's most famous Jounin, known throughout the Five Shinobi countries as Sharingan Kakashi the Copy Ninja. He's supposedly copied over 1000 jutsu, hence the name Copy Ninja. But he's also a pervert, he reads this dirty book series called Icha Icha Paradise in public and is always giggling as he reads it." While Naruto was speaking, he had started digging through his supply pouch and pulled out a small scroll.

Sasuke groaned and said, "Dobe, do you really think that stupid prank scroll you made will work on Kakashi?" Naruto just grinned as he used a chair to place the scroll at the top of the sliding doors so it couldn't be seen but when the doors were opened the scroll would be torn apart.

"What is that scroll for Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

Naruto rubbed the side of his nose and smirked. "You'll see Hinata-chan, that's what he gets for being late!" said the blond as he jumped down from the chair and sat down beside Hinata and wrapped his tails around her, using the ends to tickle her. Hinata giggled and scratched Naruto's ears as he hugged her.

The sound of foot steps outside the door alerted the room's occupants that someone was coming towards the room. All three genin stopped talking and grabbed a kunai incase this was some kind of test of their reflexes. The door opened and Naruto's scroll ripped, releasing a small waterfall that soaked the silver haired Jounin standing in the doorway. The Jounin looked up at the top of the doors, only to find there was nothing there since the scroll had disappeared back into Naruto's pouch. "Okay, how did you do that Naruto?" asked the Jounin as he fixed his single eye on the hanyou.

Naruto grinned and said, "I used a special scroll tag that has a bunch of water sealed inside it. When the scroll is ripped it releases the water and returns to my pouch." Kakashi nodded, he had seen Kyuubi use similar scrolls to amuse the children in the hospital, only those held small stuffed animals or candy for the little kids. Kakashi could easily see the skill being used to carry an emergency supply of fresh water.

"Well, given that I had no clue that was going to happen, I'd say you got me good," said Kakashi as his visible eye became an upside down U and a faint crinkle in his face mask were the only indications that he was smiling. "It looks like you three will be an interesting team. Meet me on the roof top in five minutes." After he finished speaking, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto shrugged and led his team mates to the roof.

* * *

Kakashi stared at his three charges, Sasuke was leaning against a tree while Naruto had Hinata in his tails' embrace again and Gishou perched on his head. "Okay, I already know Naruto and Sasuke, but we'll all introduce ourselves," said the Jounin.

"Ano, what do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" asked Hinata.

Kakashi shrugged and closed his eye as he said, "How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that. I'll go first. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hmm, well I have lots of hobbies."

Hinata stared at Kakashi as if expecting more. 'All I learned was his name,' she thought.

"Chigau (Just a moment) Kakashi-sensei, you forgot to mention you like reading dirty books, hate having people try to see what is under you mask, your goal in life is to memorize the entire Icha Icha Paradise series, and your hobbies are being late for everything that isn't a mission or a life or death matter," said Naruto with a grin. Kakashi's visible eye snapped open and he glared at Naruto.

"Me next!" yelled the blond, not even flinching at the look Kakashi was sending his way. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like Hinata-chan, my parents, playing tricks on people, and ramen. I hate the three minute wait for ramen to cook, people who just view me as the Hokage's son or a hanyou instead of for who I am, and people who try to hurt my friends. My dreams are to marry Hinata-chan, when we are old enough, and surpass my father and the previous Hokage and become the Godaime, or Rokudaime if dad retires before I'm old enough to take over and appoints a successor and make all the villagers recognize me for my accomplishments instead of my family name. My hobbies are cuddling with Hinata-chan, playing pranks, and training!" Kakashi smiled, he had been like an uncle to Naruto and had watched him in the past when Ken and Kyuubi wanted a night alone, so he knew most of the stuff that Naruto said already. He didn't know how close Naruto and Hinata were though, and was slightly worried that they might distract each other during a mission.

"Very good, next," said Kakashi as he looked at Hinata.

The Hyuga girl smiled and said, "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I like making medical creams, training with my cousin Neji, and Naruto-kun. I hate Kumo shinobi, the Hyuga curse seal, and people who are mean to others for no reason. My dreams are to marry Naruto-kun and become the Hyuga clan head. My hobbies are making medical creams, spending time with my little sister, and reading." Kakashi smiled, Hinata was not what he had expected. He had been expecting a girl who cared more about her looks than being a kunoichi and Hinata was the opposite. Her dedication to her family and Naruto were good signs, they insured she wouldn't abandon a team member during a mission.

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, who sighed and said, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like living with my foster family the Uzumaki's, onigirii, Katon jutsu, and training. I hate fan girls and my bastard of a brother Itachi. My hobbies are training with Naruto and our father and my dream…no my ambition is to kill Itachi and resurrect the Uchiha clan." Kakashi stared at Sasuke for a minute and sighed.

'I knew it, he is after all an avenger. I'll have to keep an eye on him' thought Kakashi before he said, "Okay, that's enough. Starting tomorrow we'll begin our duties."

"What kind of duties? Do we have to kick some bandit ass, hunt down wolves, or maybe rescue a hostage?" demanded Naruto.

Kakashi chuckled and said, "First we are going to do a little exercise with just the four of us." Seeing the eager look on Naruto's face, Kakashi continued, "Before you ask, its survival training."

"Why are we doing survival training, we've done that in the Academy?" asked Sasuke.

"I'm your opponent, but this isn't normal survival training," said Kakashi before he started to chuckle.

"What's so funny Kakashi no Hentai?" demended Naruto, who promptly got smacked on the head by Kakashi.

"It's just that when I tell you guys this, you're going to freak out," said Kakashi as his eye showed he was smiling.

"Freak out?" asked Hinata, not feeling very confident.

Kakashi's face lost all traces of happiness as he said, "Of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty six percent!"

Naruto's yell of "NANI?" could be heard throughout the village for several minutes.

"What the hell? But we worked so hard… we could have been killed by that traitor when he fooled me and almost got the scroll if we didn't work together to beat him! What was the point of graduating?" yelled Naruto.

Kakashi grinned and said, "Oh that? That's just to select those that have the ability to become genin. Anyway, tomorrow you'll be graded on the training field. Bring all your shinobi tools. Oh, and don't eat breakfast, you'll throw up! The details can be found on this printout. Don't be late tomorrow." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all shared looks of fear and outrage as they left to go eat at Ichiraku for what might be their last meal as a team.

* * *

The next morning found Team 7 enjoying a picnic breakfast in training ground number three while they waited for their sensei. Naruto had brought a large basket containing eggs, bacon, and sausage to eat with several thermoses of hot chocolate.

"Ano, are you sure we should be eating?" asked Hinata as she accepted a cup of hot chocolate from Naruto.

"Kakashi is always late, so he'll be here around lunch time. We need all the strength we can get, and I'm not sitting around doing nothing and letting you guys sabotage your chance at passing this exam," said Naruto as Sasuke tossed a sausage to Gishou. "Besides, we have to enjoy every minute we have together as a team if the exam is as tough as Kakashi no Hentai says!"

* * *

Across Konoha, Kakashi woke up with a sneeze. "Someone must be gossiping about me!" he said before glancing to the side and seeing he still had two hours before his alarm rang. Kakashi promptly lay down and went back to sleep.

* * *

Two hours later, Kakashi walked into the training grounds. "Hey guys, good morning!" he exclaimed.

One hundred Naruto Kage Bushins appeared and yelled, "YOU'RE LATE!" Kakashi looked around and noticed Sasuke and Hinata glaring at him also. All the Bushins disappeared and left the original Naruto standing with Sasuke and Hinata with Gishou on his head.

Kakashi grinned and placed an alarm clock on a stump and turned to face his students. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell by noon get no lunch." Kakashi then pointed to three large stumps, "I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps but I'll eat my lunch right in front of you!" Kakashi then noticed that none of his subordinates looked upset by this development. Kakashi cleared his throat before continuing, "You only need to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy. You can even use your shurikens and kunai. You won't win unless you come at me with killing intent." At this part, Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke all grinned widely. This made Kakashi slightly worried.

Seeing that his students had no objections, Kakashi grinned and said, "Start!" all four shinobi disappeared, though Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto all met up almost immediately. All three friends nodded and darted silently through the forest, with Naruto and Gishou in the front of a triangle formation.

* * *

Kakashi glanced up from his book as Naruto leapt out of the bushes and pointed at him with righteous indignation. "Kakashi no Hentai, Oka-san will kill you if I tell her you're our sensei and you're reading your dirty book in front of us!" said Naruto with a grin.

Kakashi waved his hand and said, "Maa ne, there is no need to be rude Naruto. Is that any way to talk to your teacher? And I think you missed the point of the exercise, you're supposed to…"

Naruto interrupted Kakashi by yelling, "Kick your ass!" and charging at the Jounin. Kakashi sighed and blocked Naruto's first punch before crouching down to avoid the blonde's follow up kick. Naruto charged forward to punch Kakashi, only to stare in shock as his teacher disappeared right in front of him. "Huh?" asked the blond, even though his nose and ears told him Kakashi was behind him.

Hiding in the bushes, Sasuke winced in anticipation as he took in Kakashi's crouched stance and the tiger seal he was forming around his book. 'Naruto was right, dad did teach Kakashi that move. I'm glad Naruto volunteered to be the decoy and not me!' thought Sasuke.

Kakashi had an evil glint in his eye before lunging forward as he yelled, "Hidden Leaf Ancient Supreme Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Pain!" and jabbed the points of his fingers up Naruto's ass. Naruto rocketed up into the air screaming in pain, only to disappear with a pop. 'Kage Bushin?' thought Kakashi, Sasuke, and Hinata, surprised they hadn't seen Naruto make clones at any time. Hinata had her Byakugan active and her mouth dropped open as she saw Naruto appear above Kakashi with his new katana drawn. The sword blade had flames etched along the edge and the Uzumaki spiral near the hilt. Naruto brought the katana down on Kakashi's head, only to watch the silver haired Jounin disappear again. Kakashi suddenly appeared standing on the water of the nearby lake, causing Naruto to grin.

"Hey Kakashi sensei, let me show you a trick!" yelled Naruto as he shifted into a weird stance where he held his sword above his head while pointing it at the ground. Blue flame suddenly covered the sword, causing Kakashi's eye to widen. Naruto yelled "Kaen-giri (Flame Slash)!" as he swung the sword down and in front of himself and sent a crescent of blue fire towards Kakashi. Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise as the attack hit him. Kakashi suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke and left a log that was sliced in half in his place that fell into the water and extinguished the flames covering it.

Kakashi reappeared beside Naruto and whistled in surprise as the attack kept going and cut down a tree on the lake's edge before disappearing. "What was that?" asked the Jounin.

Naruto grinned as he sheathed his katana and said, "I channeled my fox fire into the sword blade and shot it out as I slashed. Dad taught me how to do that with a chakra wave, I just adapted it to use foxfire instead!" Kakashi nodded and pulled his book from the pouch on his back as he prepared to engage Naruto in Taijutsu again.

Just then, a red blur shot out of the bushes and grabbed Kakashi's book and ran across his back. Gishou leaped off the Jounin and ran across the clearing and back into the woods. Kakashi leapt away from Naruto, planning to catch the fox, only to hear "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" and see a huge fireball rushing towards him.

Kakashi made several hand seals and yelled, "Suiton: Tatsumaki (Water Style: Waterspout)!" and slammed his hands into the ground. A waterspout shot up in front of Kakashi and clashed with Sasuke's fireball, but Kakashi had to keep his hands on the ground to keep the water coming.

Sasuke's jutsu stopped abruptly and Kakashi stared for a second in surprise before he stopped his counter attack and leapt away from his position. Kakashi found himself in the middle of the clearing with none of his students in sight. 'Heh, they either planned this all out before hand or they have natural teamwork. I know Naruto is somewhere around here using Henge, Sasuke has probably moved from where he attacked me, and I have no clue about Hinata. They might actually get the bells!' thought Kakashi. Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted as he saw Hinata charging him. Knowing how dangerous Hinata's Jyuken (Gentle Fist) fighting style was, Kakashi was glad he didn't have his book to occupy one of his hands.

Hinata started off with a series of basic jabs and open palm strikes aimed more for testing his defenses than actually hitting him. Kakashi barely managed to avoid each blow, knowing that a single glancing blow could disable his arm. Hinata's strikes started coming faster and faster, making Kakashi sweat. Hinata suddenly aimed an open palmed blow to Kakashi's chest, causing him to leap backwards. As he did so, he heard Hinata yell "Now!" before she leaped backwards

Kakashi's eye widened as he saw three Fuuma Shuriken flying towards him. His eye reached the size of dinner plates as he heard Sasuke yell "Tenka!" and all three of the weapons were surrounded in red flames. Kakashi twisted his body in ways that would leave him sore the next day to avoid the attack, only to see a fourth Fuuma Shuriken in the shadow of the third. The first two had been meant to place him in the path of the third and the shadow shuriken would get him if he hadn't seen it. Kakashi rolled to the side, only to watch in amazement as the shuriken moved to follow him. Kakashi waited till the last moment to dodge to the side and still the shuriken almost had him.

A loud poof and a cloud of smoke appeared as Naruto dropped his Henge and grabbed both the bells as he landed and rolled away from Kakashi. Kakashi then felt something hit him in the neck and he blacked out.

* * *

Kakashi regained consciousness and found himself staring at his three students. They were sitting on the ground and looking up at him. Glancing around, Kakashi was surprised to see the alarm clock was just about the reach noon and he was the one tied to the stump. He looked at his students again, evaluating their expressions and mood. Naruto sat on the ground with Gishou on his shoulder and both bells in his hand. The kitsune still clutched Kakashi's beloved Icha Icha Paradise volume 2 in his mouth and didn't seem like he would let go anytime soon. Both of the pair had their ears and noses focused on Kakashi, making sure he didn't pull a Kawarimi. Hinata was next in line, her Byakugan active as she watched for any chakra gathering in places that would signal a jutsu being performed. Sasuke was the last one he looked at, he had a Fuuma Shuriken in his hand and looked ready to throw it at a moment's notice.

Kakashi then took a look at his situation. He was tied up with a bunch of intricate knots that he couldn't reach in front, with every limb restrained so he couldn't move them at all. He was amused to see thin strands of wire around each finger, preventing the usage of hand seals by securing the hands in an open position. Finally, Kakashi found that his supply pouch, shuriken and kunai holsters, and his flak jacket were all piled behind Hinata so she could keep an eye on them with her Byakugan. Kakashi was impressed, the kids had really paid attention to Iruka's lectures on restraining captives.

Kakashi chuckled. "I'm impressed, you three should know something… you already passed the first part of the Genin Exam before you even got assigned to me!" All three of the friends stared at Kakashi and he continued, "When you worked together to fight Mizuki, Ken-sensei knew you three would make a good team. This was just to make sure everything was official and so I could evaluate your skill. I have to admit that I'm surprised. Naruto's Kage Bushin acted recklessly to make me think that it was the real Naruto, then Naruto or another Kage Bushin attacked with his katana and distracted me while Sasuke prepared to ambush me with his jutsu. Gishou stole my book and got me into a position where Sasuke could attack me. When I countered him, Naruto snuck away and joined up with Sasuke. Hinata then attacked me, forcing me to focus all of my attention on her, allowing her to maneuver me into position so Sasuke's Fuuma Shuriken could be put to use. The fire kept my attention on the three obvious shuriken and distracted me from noticing Naruto disguised as a Fuuma Shuriken in the shadow of the third flaming shuriken. As Naruto past me, he dropped his Henge and grabbed the bells. Then Hinata hit me from behind and knocked me out. I'm guessing all three of you worked together to tie me up?" Seeing all three nod, Kakashi smiled. "You three are the first three to get the bells on the first try using teamwork. But there are only two bells, so one of you will have to fail this exam."

Naruto shrugged and tossed a bell to Sasuke and Hinata each. "The Hokage must be ready to give up his life for the lives of the village and his subordinates," said the blond when his friends were about to protest.

Hinata shook her head. "No, Naruto-kun, I should go back. As the Hyuga clan heiress, I have been taught to put the good of all before personal feelings. Konoha needs both you and Sasuke as shinobi since you are so strong," said Hinata before she tossed her bell back to Naruto.

Sasuke snorted and said, "I did barely anything dangerous. It was you two who were taking all the risks and engaging Kakashi-sensei in Taijutsu. Besides, Naruto is in need of more instruction that the Academy can offer and Hinata is needed for her medical training." Sasuke threw his bell to Hinata, after which all three of the friends started chuckling at the musical bells.

Kakashi was openly staring at his team, amazed at how carefree they were over the possibility of returning to the Academy. 'Sensei was right; they do make a great team. Their skills compliment one another and they used them to their advantage. Naruto used his familiarity with his father's training methods to guess what I would do and I played right into their hands,' thought the Jounin.

"Now that you've all decided you each want to go back to the Academy, I can tell you that you all pass! Now will you let me go!" said Kakashi.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all looked at one another and said, "Nah, this is punishment for being late!" before grinning and running off with Gishou still carrying Kakashi's book. The silver haired Jounin tried to wiggle his way out of the ropes, desperate to catch the kids before they told Kyuubi what he had been reading. Kyuubi had always hated Jiraiya's books and warned Kakashi that if she caught him reading them in her house or in front of Naruto and Sasuke she would burn the book without warning.

* * *

Ken grinned as he looked at his former student. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had stopped by his office to tell him they passed and what happened to Kakashi. Ken had checked out the training ground in his crystal ball and had a good laugh at the genius Kakashi being outwitted by three Academy graduates that just became Genin before coming to talk to his former student. "Well Kakashi, I can't say I didn't warn you that Naruto was extremely mischievous and would prank you if you let your guard down. He has been itching to take down his Uncle Kakashi for along time, be glad Sasuke and Hinata convinced him to not do some of the other things he is capable of," said Ken.

Kakashi nodded, frowning slightly as an itch made itself known on his back. "Sensei, could you please untie me?" asked the silver haired Jounin. Ken bent down and quickly cut the ropes holding Kakashi to the log and undid the wires keeping his hands stiff. "Thanks Sensei, now I have to find those kids and tell them when to meet tomorrow."

Ken shook his head and grabbed Kakashi's shoulder before he could run off. "Kakashi, they showed her the book! She said that after I untied you I could warn you and then you had five minutes to hide!"

Kakashi froze for a second before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Kyuubi stepped out of the trees and scowled at her husband, a large frying pan in her hands. "You know you just gave him false hope that he can escape, no one can hide from my foxes!" exclaimed Kyuubi. Ken shrugged, already hearing distant barks and yips that showed the foxes Kyuubi had summoned were on the scent of the fleeing Jounin. Kyuubi kissed Ken's cheek before walking off and singing, "Kakashi, where are you?" in a creepy voice.

Ken disappeared and reappeared at his home, where Teams 7, 8 and 10 were having a slumber party to celebrate passing the Genin Exam. He found them eating pizza and drinking soda as they watched a movie about The Legendary Senin of Konoha. Naruto had paused the DVD on a current picture of Jiraiya and was explaining all his peeping spots that he knew about to the girls so they could be on the look out for him in the future the next time they were in the baths. Ken chuckled as Naruto did the funky dance Jiraiya used to introduce himself to people he had met for the first time. Ken's laughter brought all the new Genins' attention to him and he cleared his throat. "I'm here to congratulate all of you on passing the Genin Exam. From now on you nine are proud shinobi of Konoha and I know you will train hard and make us proud." With those inspirational words, Ken left the kids to their movie, with the warning that Kyuubi had foxes watching them and any naughty stuff would result in them being forced to do missions at the Konoha home for elderly shinobi. All the genin were suitably scared and promised to behave, though Hinata didn't move from her seat on Naruto's lap. Kyuubi soon came in with her frying pan bearing the imprint of Kakashi's head and giving Naruto a chance to tell the others about his mother's standing threat regarding Kakashi's books. All the new Genin had a fun evening and fell asleep in their sleeping bags, though one of Naruto's tails snuck out of his bag and into Hinata's for her to cuddle.

**AN: well, this chapter is over. Next chapter, Team 7 gets their first big mission. Hope you liked the changes I made to the Genin exam. I figure that Naruto will be smarter since he has his parents to teach him, thus he has a better grasp of tactics and teamwork. Tail 4 will be out in a week! Ja ne!**


	5. Tail 4: Wave Country part 1

**Roar of the Dragon: Alot of people asked about the Wave Country mission, and I have to ask this in reply: Why would I leave out such an awesome segment of the story? It's starting this chapter and finishing next chapter.  
**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Tsunami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses:_

_Cobra-100: Yeah, Hinata has some dirty thoughts, but she isn't ready to mate with Naruto yet, and Naruto knows that Hiashi, Neji, and Kyuubi will atempt to neuter him if he sleeps with Hinata. So they both restrain themselves.  
_

_Dragon and Sword Master: Funniest yet? Just wait until Jiraiya appears after everyone returns to Konoha.  
_

_God in a box: I'm highly complimented that you like my story so much, I really enjoy writing it and giving a reader that happy feeling is one of my greatest joys. _

_Scorpio V1.2: Naruto's tail moved on it's own because his subconcious knows he can't sleepwalk and get in Hinata's sleeping bag without getting in deep trouble with his parents but just the tail was fine. I think I'm the first one to have Kakashi be defeated by his team so easily and get his ass pwned so badly. _

_Story Weaver1: Yes, Kakashi is a stupid hentai. He, along with Jiraiya, will fill the role of Miroku that I loved to make fun of. As for the cuddling, what can I say, I love fluff!_

_Shadow-Sensei: Yes he is, but he really should know better. _

_ Aloi-chan: Yes, Naruto and Hinata are the main focus of this fic, with a side of Sasuke and whoever I pair him up with. A big part of why Sasuke isn't a cold hearted bastard will be revealed next chapter.  
_

_Mrasdfghj: Yes, the mission to the Wave Country starts this chapter and finishes next chapter. I don't know for sure about Sasuke, I'm still undicided towards how the curse seal will infulence him, but I'm leaning towards him being brainwashed and kidnapped._

_Patch5129: Glad you liked the Kakashi stuff, more Sasuke Naruto brother stuff next chapter. _

_Ranma Hibiki: If you think Kakashi is abused just wait until Jiraiya appears! And Zabuza will show up very soon. _

_xAkix: Yeah, you're back! E-mail me your description and a small backstory and I'll make you a shinobi that Neji likes. I owe you that much for your loyal reviewing for my previous fics and almost killing you with cliffies so many times. _

_Daniel Lynx: Can't say much without giving the plot away, but this is an AU and there will be changes. _

_DarkGaara: Glad you liked seeing Kakashi get hit with a frying pan. _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story!**

The quiet of the Konoha forest was disturbed by the slight whisper of displaced air as Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata darted from tree to tree. All three genin wore a headpiece radio and were stalking an elusive foe. A short distance away, Kakashi sat in the mission command center, aka a clearing with a big rock he could sit on to read his porn, and contacted his subordinates. "What's the distance to the target?" he asked.

"Five meters, I'm ready any time!" said Sasuke, to which Naruto and Hinata agreed.

"Okay, GO!" said Kakashi.

All three genin ran from their hiding places to pounce on their target, which tried to get away, only to be caught by a red blur that pinned it to the ground. "Good job Gishou!" exclaimed Naruto as he grabbed the cat his pet had subdued. The cat reacted by trying to use Naruto's face as a scratching post until Hinata used a pressure point to calm the cat down.

"Ribbon on the left ear, are you sure this is the target, Tora?" asked Kakashi over the radio.

"Yeah, we've only caught this cat ten times!" growled Sasuke. It was true, this was the tenth time in twelve days that they had to catch Tora the cat. Kiba, Shino, and Sakura had the unfortunate job once, Akamaru ended up chasing Tora through the forest for hours and the team vowed to never go on a cat retrieval mission again.

"Good, Lost Pet 'Tora' Search Mission complete!" said Kakashi before he slipped his book back into its carrying pouch and appeared next to his students in a cloud of smoke for the walk back to Konoha.

* * *

Team seven could only stare at Tora in sympathy as the cat was hugged by its owner Madam Shijimi, the wife of the Fire Country Daimyo. "Ohh, my cute little Tora-chan. I was so worried!" cooed the lady as she practically strangled the cat. 

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all had the same thought running through their heads, 'No wonder it ran away,' while Gishou was thanking Kami-sama for making him a fox and not a dog or cat.

Sarutobi, who assigned the missions to shinobi to allow Ken more time for reading mission reports, puffed on his pipe before picking up a slip of paper and reading it. "Now, Kakashi's team number seven, your next mission is… babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, and help with the potato digging," said the former Hokage.

Naruto took a deep breath and yelled, "NO! NO! NO! No thank you! Give us something more interesting, we've been doing these lame missions for the past few weeks already!"

While Sasuke didn't voice his opinion, the glare he was directing at Sarutobi made it clear he agreed with Naruto. Hinata's right eye was twitching, a sure sign that she was containing her frustration. Kakashi sweat dropped and thought, 'I thought it was about time for this…'

Iruka slammed his hands on the large desk he was sharing with Sarutobi and yelled, "You idiot, you're just a rookie! Everyone starts off with the simple missions and works their way up!" as Sarutobi sighed.

"But we keep getting the crappiest missions possible! I've been dragged through a mine field by a huge dog, almost got swept over a water fall, and I've been barfed on by five different babies in the last ten days!"

Naruto's tirade would have continued if Kakashi hadn't bonked him on the head and said, "Be quiet you!"

Sarutobi sighed and said, "Naruto, it seems have to explain to you what these missions are all about. Listen, everyday the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting to assassinations. Each request is written down on these lists and divided into an A, B, C, or D ranking based on difficulty. This village is also divided based on skill. Starting with your father and me to the Jounin, Chunin, and Genin. The missions are then handed out by us at the top to ninjas based on their abilities. And if the mission is completed successfully… we receive payment from the client. You guys just recently became Genin; D-rank missions are perfect for you!" Naruto eagerly wrote down everything Sarutobi said in a small notebook he carried with the words HOW TO BE HOKAGE written on it. This note book had any lectures Naruto heard on what it meant to be Hokage and how to fulfill the Hokage's duties inside it. Naruto checked to make sure he had everything before putting the note book away and looking at Sarutobi.

"With all due respect Sandaime, I feel I am not being challenged with just the training our team does and these missions. Sasuke, Hinata-chan, and I already have excellent teamwork and we need to get some experience outside the village. If we are not allowed some slightly more difficult missions, how can we see how we fare in the outside world? Could we at least have a mission that takes us farther than the neighboring village?" asked Naruto.

Sarutobi was impressed. Naruto's arguments were valid and reasonable, especially since Ken had requested that the new teams get a few easy C-rank missions soon to give them more experience for the Chunin Exam. "Okay, if you want it that much I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's a protection mission for a certain individual," said Sarutobi with a slight smirk.

"Yatta!" cheered Naruto as Gishou let out an excited yip and Sasuke and Hinata's faces bore happy expressions. "Who are we escorting? A daimyo? A princess?" demanded Naruto.

"Calm down, I'm about to introduce him," said Sarutobi as he turned to a side door. "You can come in now," he called.

The door slid open to reveal a thickset older man wearing a large backpack with a towel around his neck and a bottle of some alcoholic beverage in his hand. Naruto's nose told him it might be sake, but he couldn't be sure. The man reeked of sweat and alcohol, making it hard to breath for Naruto and Gishou, who both had slightly green looks to their faces. "What's this? They're all a bunch of super brats," said the man as he took a sip from his bottle before leaning against the door frame. "Especially the shortest one with the super stupid looking face. Are you really a ninja? Hey!" demanded the guy.

Naruto growled, he hated people mocking his height. When he had been younger some bullies had teased him about being the runt of the litter, something no fox would want to be called. "I'll kill you!" yelled Naruto before Kakashi grabbed the back of his orange jumpsuit to keep him from leaping at their client and loosing them the job.

"What's the point of killing the person we're supposed to protect? Baka?" demanded the Jounin.

The old man stared at Naruto and said, "I am the super expert bridge builder Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

Kakashi dismissed his team to pack for the mission, telling them to meet him outside the gates to Konoha in one hour.

* * *

Naruto smiled as he looked at the large forest they would be traveling through for the first part of their journey. "Let's go!" yelled the hanyou. Naruto was practically bouncing up and down with suppressed energy, causing Hinata to giggle. 

"What are you so excited about?" asked Tazuna.

"This is my first mission that will take me so far from the village. I've lived here my whole life and I can't wait to see new places!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Hey, am I really going to be safe with this brat?" demanded Tazuna.

"Well, I'm a Jounin, so don't worry," said Kakashi sheepishly. The masked Jounin wished Naruto would lay off on the antics, it made it hard to keep a serious mood.

"Word of advice old man, Naruto is one of our strongest Genin. If he wanted to he could rip you apart," said Sasuke coldly, not at all pleased with Tazuna's attitude.

"Yeah, one day I'll take the title of Hokage! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, remember it!" exclaimed Naruto.

Tazuna took a swig from his bottle and said, "Hokage is the village's number one ninja, right? I doubt someone like you could become it…"

"Shut up! I am prepared to do whatever it takes to gain the Hokage title. Once I become Hokage, everyone will acknowledge my skill, even you old man!"

"No I won't brat," said Tazuna, "Even if you did become Hokage!"

Hinata and Kakashi had to restrain an angry Naruto and Sasuke from attacking Tazuna with intent to cause the bridge builder bodily harm. "I said stop morons," groaned Kakashi. 'This is going to be a long trip,' sighed the Jounin to himself.

Unknown to everyone except Naruto and Gishou, two pairs of eyes were watching the small group from the tree tops.

* * *

"Ano, Tazuna-san?" asked Hinata after an hour of silent walking with Naruto and Gishou out in front of the group to scout for enemies. 

"What?" was the terse reply, Tazuna thought Hinata was a timid girl who shouldn't even be on this mission.

"You're from the Wave country, right?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Tazuna.

Hinata addressed her next question to her sensei. "Ano, Kakashi-sensei? Do they have ninjas in that country to?" Kakashi started to answer, but a Naruto Kage Bushin appeared next to Hinata and beat him to it.

"No, Wave is a small island country with no hidden village. This makes it a good hiding place for missing nin, since there aren't a bunch of shinobi running around all the time. While several small countries like the new Sound, Waterfall, Grass, and Rain do have their own hidden villages, the five largest countries, Konoha, Mist, Cloud, Sand, and Stone, are refered to as the Great Five Shinobi Countries. Also, these five are the only countries whose leader receives the name Kage. These five Kages, Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage, are known as the five shadows and reign over the thousands of ninjas in the world," said the Naruto clone.

Kakashi smiled and ruffled the clone's hair as he said, "Naruto is absolutely correct." The clone scowled and disappeared in a puff, though not before Kakashi caught a warning glance the clone sent ahead of them.

"Don't worry, there won't be any ninja combat in a C-rank mission," said Kakashi as he noticed Hinata and Sasuke had caught the clone's warning as well and while looking relaxed, were actually ready to attack or evade as needed.

"Then there won't be any contact with foreign ninjas?" asked Hinata. Her Byakugan was active, though she used and Genjutsu to mask the telltale veins around her eyes.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Kakashi before he started chuckling. Sasuke noticed Tazuna looked nervous but didn't say anything, his mind already taking in the area that could shortly become a fighting zone.

Up ahead, Naruto had stopped and yelled, "Hey sensei, can we stop for lunch soon? I'm hungry enough for two people?"

"No Naruto, no stopping until two in the after noon when there is some shade to sit in!" called Kakashi.

"Stupid sensei," muttered Naruto as he kicked a rock towards the puddle lying on the ground behind Kakashi before turning around.

No one seemed to notice the two figures rising up out of the puddle together after Naruto's stone passed. Two shinobi with breathing masks and horned Kiri (Hidden Mist) Hitai-ate on their heads and a large metal gauntlet on one arm with a chain connecting the two gauntlets stared at the group for a second before the smaller figure leapt into the air and dashed around Kakashi, encircling him with the chain. The whole group stared at their attackers in shock before the smaller of the two said, "One down," and the two darted away from each other, pulling the chain tight and slicing Kakashi into bloody lieces before he could escape.

"Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, temporarily in shock at seeing their sensei killed right in front of them.

Then Naruto heard the words two down in his right ear. The two Kiri shinobi tossed their chain over in front of Naruto in preparation to decapitate him with it.

Sasuke leapt into the air and pulled a shuriken and kunai from his hip holsters. The black haired boy threw the shuriken first, pinning the chain to a nearby tree. Sasuke's kunai then sank into the tree through the hole in the middle of the shuriken and effectively trapped the chain on the tree. Sasuke then landed on the two Kiri shinobis' gauntlets before grabbing the gauntlets with his hands and kicking both enemies in the face at once. The Kiri shinobi quickly did something with their gauntlets and disengaged the chain, allowing them to separate.

One shinobi went after Naruto and swiped at him with the gauntlet, only to watch in surprise as Naruto smirked and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto suddenly appeared back where the two masked shinobi had been hiding in the puddle, having disguised himself as the rock his clone had kicked earlier. Naruto charged forward and engaged the masked shinobi in Taijutsu. The Kiri shinobi managed to get in a single good blow on Naruto's hand that gave him two gashes on the back of his hand before Naruto whipped his katana out of it's sheath in a quick draw and sliced of his opponent's arm with the gauntlet on it. Naruto then drove his fist into the Kiri shinobi's stomach, knocking him out.

The taller of the two masked shinobi had charged towards Tazuna, only to see Hinata appear in his way and yell, "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" The chakra Hinata released as she spun flung the Kiri shinobi into the air, where he prepared to plummet down on the girl and the man she was guarding. However, he didn't get the chance as Sasuke had appeared below him and yelled, "On'you Rendan (Sun and Moon combo)!" as he flipped over his opponent to deliver a crescent kick to the enemy's chest, sending him towards the ground for a collision that knocked him out.

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke and regarded the two disabled enemies. "Very good, I was wondering if I would have to step in," he said with a smile. Kakashi then turned towards Naruto. "Naruto, their claws are soaked in poison. We have to remove it quickly. Your fast healing ability will only hold off the damage for a little while. We must open the wound and the release the poisoned blood from your body. Don't move much the poison will spread." Kakashi then turned to their client. "Tazuna-san, I need to talk to you," he said before tying the two defeated shinobi to a tree.

"These are the Demon Brothers, Nuke-nin from Kiri. They're known to continue fighting no matter what," Said Kakashi.

The defeated shinobi glared at Kakashi. "How did you read our movements?" demanded the taller of the two.

Kakashi shrugged and said, "Ask Naruto, he's the one that told me there were two enemies preparing an ambush." All eyes focused on Naruto, who was standing still where he had been when Kakashi told him about the poison.

Naruto grinned and said, "I could smell you guys. Plus, there hasn't been rain for several days, so how could a puddle be on the road during such a sunny day. By the way, one of you needs to look into getting a new deodorant, your armpits stink!"

Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair as he said, "Excellent, you're going to be a fine tracker some day Naruto!"

"If you knew they were there, why did you let the brats fight?" asked Tazuna.

"If I had wanted to I could have killed these two instantly but there was something I needed to find out. Who these two were after," replied Kakashi.

"What do you mean?" asked Tazuna.

"Meaning, were they after you or one of us. We haven't heard that there are shinobi after you. Our mission was to simply protect you from thieves or gangs. This has now become at least a B-class mission. This was supposed to be simple protection until you completed the bridge. If it was known that ninjas were after you, this mission would have been set as the more expensive B-rank. I'm sure you had a reason, but it causes problems when you lie about the mission. We are now operating outside of our duties. Further more, we should return to the village to treat Naruto," explained Kakashi.

Kakashi heard Hinata gasp, "Naruto-kun!" and turned to see Naruto plunge a kunai into his hand, leaving a larger wound that covered both of the gashes he had received. Blood splattered onto the ground, some of it black from poison.

"With this kunai, I'll protect the old man. We're continuing this mission!" exclaimed Naruto as he held his hand up in front of his face and grinned a smile no one had ever seen before. This was the smile of a predator about to bag its prey.

Kakashi sighed and said, "Naruto, it's good that you are releasing the poison but anymore and," here Kakashi smiled with his visible eye curving upward, "you'll die from lack of blood. Seriously!"

Naruto scowled and sniffed the wound. Finding no traces of the poison, he licked the wound clean and spat the blood out before allowing Hinata to wrap a bandage around the wound. Hinata smiled as she watched Naruto's cut heal before her eyes as she wrapped it.

Tazuna walked up to Kakashi and said, "Sensei, I have to talk with you." The two adults walked a short distance away for some privacy. "You're right, this job is most likely outside of your duties. It turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life."

"Super dangerous man?" asked Kakashi as his visible eyebrow rose upwards. "Who?"

"You've probably at least heard his name before," said Tazuna, causing Naruto's ears to swivel in his direction to catch every word, "the wealthy shipping magnate…a man named Gatouu."

Kakashi's eye widened and he exclaimed, "Huh! Gatouu, from that Gatouu Company? He's said to be one of the world's few extremely wealthy people."

"Yes, officially he runs a large shipping company, but secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninja and gang members to take over business contracts and countries. He's a very nasty man. It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on the Wave Country. Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gatouu now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. The only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge," said Tazuna.

Hinata frowned and said, "Since you're building the bridge you're in the way."

"So, those ninja were hired by Gatouu?" asked Sasuke.

"But what I don't understand is if you knew ninjas could be after you, why did you hide that fact when you hired us?" asked Kakashi.

"The Wave Country is super poor (AN: he says super a lot, doesn't he!) Even the Daimyo has no money. Of course, we don't have much money either, not enough for the expensive B-rank mission," said Tazuna.

Team 7 stared at the bridge builder for a minute before he said, "Well, if you quit the mission now, I will definitely be killed. But, don't worry about it! If I die, my cute ten year old grandson will just cry for a few days! Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating Konoha shinobi forever. But it won't be your fault, not at all!"

Naruto was practically growling, he could tell that Sasuke and Hinata were fighting the urge to tie up and gag Tazuna and drag him behind them right then for his rude remarks.

"Well, I guess we have no choice. We will protect you at least until you get back to your country," said Kakashi.

* * *

"Wow, it's huge!" whispered Naruto as he took in the uncompleted bridge. The entire group was in a small boat heading into the Wave Country under the cover of the coastal mist. 

"We'll be there soon," said the boat's guide, "Tazuna, it looks like we've avoided detection so far but… just in case, we'll take the route that has more vegetation. It will make it harder to spot us." Tazuna nodded, not daring to make a sound.

The boat entered and passed through a tunnel and Team seven saw a bunch of Mangrove trees forming small vegetation islands in the middle of a large river separating the city on either side of the canal. The boat pulled up to a small dock and Team Seven disembarked with Tazuna.

"This is it for me. Good bye and good luck," whispered the guide before he pushed off and disappeared into the mist with his boat as Tazuna thanked him.

"Ok, get me home safely," said the bridge builder.

"Yes, yes," sighed Kakashi. 'If we get attacked again, it will surely not be a Chunin, but a Jounin,' he thought.

Naruto and Hinata had their senses strained to the max to keep on the lookout for enemies. Naruto was slightly in front of everyone again, with Gishou tucked into his jacket. The kitsune hanyou suddenly stopped and whipped out a shuriken just as Hinata gasped. Naruto threw the shuriken into a nearby bush just as Hinata said, "Naruto-kun!"

Swiftly making their way through the bushes, Team Seven stared at a white rabbit that had frozen in shock, Naruto's shuriken buried in the trunk of a tree an inch above the rabbit's head and right between its ears. Hinata immediately scooped up the bunny and set it down in the bushes away from the group. "There was someone there, I swear!" yelled Naruto, one of his eyes rolling to point into a tree above and to the right of him. Kakashi made sure not to look in the indicated direction.

'That's a snow rabbit. But it is only white if it hasn't been in the sunlight for a long time. This rabbit was kept in a cage for Kawarimi. Looks like Naruto was right and our foe barely avoided his attack,' thought Kakashi.

Up in the tree, a figure peered through the leaves at the group on the ground. 'I see, no wonder the Demon Brothers didn't stand a chance. Konoha's Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi!' thought the figure before they leapt into the air.

Kakashi reacted instantly, yelling "Everyone down, now!" Naruto and Sasuke both moved quickly. Sasuke grabbed Tazuna and pulled him down while Naruto did the same for Hinata. A large sword spun through the air where their necks would have been and slammed into a nearby tree. As Kakashi spun to face the sword, a shinobi appeared standing on the handle of the giant weapon.

"Well if it isn't Kiri's nuke-nin Momochi Zabuza," said Kakashi, "Everybody get back. This one's on a whole other level." Kakashi reached for his Hitai-ate as he said, "Against him, it will be a little tough unless I do this…"

"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi," said Zabuza, "Sorry but the old man is mine!"

"Yeah right, kick his ass Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto.

"Thanks for the encouragement Naruto. Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Do not enter the fight, that's the kind of teamwork needed here," said Kakashi, not once taking his focus off Zabuza. "Zabuza, first… fight me," said the Jounin as he raised his Hitai-ate to reveal a Sharingan eye in his left eye socket, though a scar around the eye showed it was surgically implanted.

"Ah, I already get to see the famous Sharingan. I'm honored," said Zabuza as he finally turned to face the group. "When I was a member of Kiri's assassin team, I possessed the usual Bingo Book, a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write up on you, including a mention of your impressive record, the man who has penetrated and copied over a thousand different jutsu, Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei is the coolest, even if he is a pervert!" yelled Naruto, causing Sasuke and Hinata to sigh and resolve to whack him on the head after this was over.

"Now, let's end all the talking. I have to kill that old man," said Zabuza as he glared at Tazuna. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata quickly formed a triangle putting themselves in between the nuke-nin and his target, while Gishou leapt to Tazuna's backpack as a last line of defense.

Zabuza smirked and shifted his gaze to Kakashi. "But, it seems I have to kill you first Kakashi," he said before he pulled his sword from the tree and disappeared from sight, only to reappear on the nearby water. All three genin stared in shock, they had seen shinobi stand on walls and ceilings in Konoha, but standing on the water was new to them.

Mist started to appear as Zabuza raised one arm straight up and positioned his other hand as if he were a parent telling their child to be quiet. "Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu," said Zabuza, before he disappeared from sight. The mist was so thick that no one but Naruto could have figured out where Zabuza was, and even he was stumped by inexperience.

"He'll come after me first. Momochi Zabuza, as a member of the Hidden Mist, he was known as an expert in silent killing. Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to Heaven," said Kakashi. The Jounin paused for a second before saying, "I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the Sharingan, so all of you stay on your toes!"

Zabuza's voice suddenly echoed through the mist. "There are eight targets: throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian vein, kidneys and heart. So many choices, what vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heh heh." The sound of his voice had all three genin shivering from fear, Naruto could easily hear Hinata's heartbeat.

"Don't worry Hinata, Kakashi-sensei won't let anything happen to us," whispered Naruto.

Sasuke heard Naruto's words of encouragement, but he was so nervous sweat was soaking the collar of his shirt. 'This terrible bloodlust, I haven't felt this scared since Oka-san was told about Kakashi-sensei reading his book during training. A Jounin, determined to make a kill, knowing my life is in his hands… I hate it! You start wanting to die, just to end the suspense…' he thought.

Sasuke's terror filled thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi saying, "Sasuke, calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." Sasuke stared at Kakashi as the masked Jounin turned his head slightly, letting the Uchiha see Kakashi's left eye curved upwards as he smiled and said, "I will never let my comrades die!"

Sasuke relaxed slightly, even as Naruto and Hinata both stiffened as their senses caught something. Zabuza's erie voice echoed through the mist, "I wouldn't bet on that." He suddenly appeared in between the Genin and Tazuna, preparing to slice all of them in half at the waist. "Game over," said the nuke-nin, just before Naruto's foot and Hinata's palm snapped towards him, forcing him to block with his sword for fear of Hinata's Jyuken. Kakashi suddenly appeared and tackled Zabuza, stabbing his chest with a kunai. Sasuke had pushed Tazuna out of the way of Zabuza's disrupted attack and placed himself between Zabuza and the bridge builder. A second Zabuza suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, sword raised so he could slice Kakashi in half.

"Sensei, behind you!" yelled Naruto as he pointed at the surprise attack.

"Kakashi whipped his head around as the Zabuza he had been fighting turned into water and fell to the ground in a puddle. Zabuza slashed Kakashi in half, only to see the Jounin also turn to water. 'Mizu Bushin no Jutsu? He was able to copy me, even in this mist?' thought Zabuza. A kunai was suddenly pressed against his neck, causing the nuke-nin to freeze.

"Don't move, Game Over," said Kakashi, causing Naruto to give a small cheer that was quickly stopped as Zabuza started laughing.

"Heh, you think it's over? You just don't get it, it will take more than just mimicking me like an ape to defeat me. But you are good! In that short time, you duplicated my Mizu Bushin no Jutsu and by making your clone say something you'd have said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself used the Kirigakure no Jutsu. To bad for you, I'm not that easy to fool!" said Zabuza before he turned into water as another appeared behind Kakashi again.

"Zabuza was a Mizu Bushin to!" yelled Naruto, annoyed he hadn't smelled the difference.

Zabuza swung a sword in an attempt to make Kakashi shorter by several feet, only to miss as Kakashi dropped to the ground. Zabuza didn't let that faze him and continued with him momentum and dug the sword blade into the ground so he could use the handle of his sword as a pivot to kick Kakashi hard in the chest. Kakashi went flying, straight into the water. Zabuza pulled his sword out of the ground and charged forward, only to skid to a stop to avoid the caltrops Kakashi had managed to drop behind him. Zabuza disappeared just before Kakashi surfaced. The Jounin suddenly heard Zabuza behind him again as he said, "Fool, Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison skill)!" and water swirled up to trap Kakashi in a sphere of water. "Heheh, that prison is inescapable. You're trapped!" said Zabuza.

'I thought I could go underwater and regroup, but it was a tactical error!' thought Kakashi.

"Sorry, but you're being annoying. Sit still while I take care of your little friends," said Zabuza as he formed a Mizu Bushin on the shore. The Mizu Bushin charged towards Tazuna and Sasuke, only to find Naruto in the way. The clone kicked Naruto hard, knocking off his Hitai-ate. "You three aren't even worthy of being killed by me or being called Ninja," said the clone as he slammed his foot down on Naruto's Hitai-ate. "To be a true ninja you must be skilled enough to have a page in my Bingo Book. You're just trash!"

"Everyone listen! Take Tazuna and run! This is a fight you can't win! If he wants to hold me in this water prison, he can't leave this place. If his Mizu Bushin gets more that a certain distance from his body he loses control of it, so get out of here!" yelled Kakashi.

Naruto slowly stood up, his back to everyone but Kakashi and Zabuza and his bangs shading his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, you said the most important thing a shinobi could have is teamwork. What kind of team leaves their leader in a situation like this?" he said, so softly everyone barely heard him. Naruto raised his head so Zabuza could see his eyes. The nuke-nin's smug face turned to one of puzzlement as he saw Naruto's eyes were red. Naruto suddenly charged forward, head butting the Mizu Bushin before using his hands to push himself into a back flip that placed him in front of Hinata and Sasuke. Naruto stood up and tied his Hitai-ate that he had grabbed back on. "Hey you, what's life like without eyebrows, freak?" asked Naruto. Both the real Zabuza and his clone twitched slightly, showing Naruto's jab had struck a nerve. "I've got some new listings for your Bingo Book right here! Me, the guy who is going to be the next Hokage of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto! The Avenger and future head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke! And the most beautiful kunoichi of Konoha and Hyuga Heir, Hyuga Hinata! Konoha shinobi!"

Sasuke and Hinata both smiled, Naruto had used that speech before in the past to describe their group and scare off people who were bullying younger kids. Tazuna was looking at Naruto with new respect. 'At our first meeting, I thought the little fellow was just an inconsequential brat! Seeing him so far, I think he will become Hokage!' he thought.

"Sasuke, Hinata, listen up! I have a plan. We're using the tried and true method!" exclaimed Naruto.

Sasuke smirked, already catching on to what Naruto had planned. "Ready when you are Dobe," he said.

Naruto grinned and said, "Hinata, you protect the old man, I know you won't let anything get past you!" Hinata nodded, pulling out a second kunai and adopting a ready stance. "Time for us to rock n' roll!" said Naruto with a huge grin.

"Heh heh, you're very sure of yourselves, but do you really think you stand a chance against me?" asked the Mizu Bushin. Zabuza suddenly glared at Naruto and Sasuke, causing them to freeze for a split second as his huge killing intent hit them. Before Sasuke could regain control of his body, Zabuza had shoulder tackled him and slammed him to the ground with his elbow. Sasuke screamed as blood shot out of his mouth.

'Crap! Time for drastic measures!' thought Naruto as he made his favorite seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" roared the hanyou as a horde of clones surrounded the Mizu Bushin.

"So, Kage Bushins, eh? And quite a lot of them," said the Mizu Bushin as it released Sasuke and grabbed its sword.

"Ready or not!" yelled the Naruto clones before they all leapt into the air with kunai drawn and dog piled the Mizu Bushin. All was still for a second before all the Naruto clones were sent flying by the Mizu Bushin swinging his sword.

Naruto skidded backwards and reached into his back pack for something. "Sasuke!" he yelled as he tossed a folded Fuuma Shuriken to his brother. Sasuke leapt and caught the Shuriken and rolled as he landed so he was facing Zabuza.

As Sasuke flicked his wrist and the Fuuma Shuriken blades slid into position as he stopped moving. Sasuke had his eye closed and then opened it to look at Zabuza over one of the shuriken's blades. "Fuuma Shuriken, Shadow Windmill!" said Sasuke before he leapt into the air and back flipped to gain momentum before hurling the Fuuma Shuriken towards the Mizu Bushin.

The Mizu Bushin yelled, "Shuriken are useless against me!" only to see the spinning blade of death pass right by him and towards the real Zabuza holding Kakashi captive. "At least this time you've had the sense to zero in on my true form!" said both Zabuza at the same time. "Amateur!" yelled the real one as he grabbed the Fuuma Shuriken, only to see another one appear. "A second shuriken in the shadow of the first?" yelled Zabuza in shock as Kakashi's eyes widened. Zabuza recovered from his moment of shock and hopped over the second shuriken while still maintaining his hold on Kakashi's prison.

Sasuke smirked, watching as the second Shuriken changed into Naruto with a puff of smoke. 'Here it goes!' thought Naruto before he hurled a kunai at Zabuza, who had just turned to see what Sasuke was smirking about. The kunai was headed straight for Zabuza's face until he dodged to the side, breaking his hold on Kakashi. However, the kunai grazed his cheek and some blood fell towards the water.

Zabuza glared at the falling Naruto and charged with him with the Fuuma Shuriken he held, only to hear Sasuke yell, "Tenka!" and the shuriken was surrounded in fire. Zabuza dropped the weapon, which hit the water at the same time as Naruto, just before Kakashi appeared between his student and Zabuza. Kakashi's single Sharingan blazed, causing Zabuza to emit a single gasp.

Naruto surfaced and spat out some water he had swallowed, Sasuke's Fuuma Shuriken safely secure in his belt. "Excellent teamwork you two, especially your use of Kage Bushin and Henge Naruto and waiting to ignite the shuriken Sasuke," said Kakashi.

Zabuza managed to calm himself down as he said, "So, you made me fly into such a rage that I unraveled the jutsu holding the water prison together."

"No, you didn't drop your jutsu, it was broken because you were forced to release it," said Kakashi, "Just so you know, the same jutsu won't work on me twice. Your move."

Zabuza and Kakashi leapt apart and rapidly formed a long string of seals, ending with the rooster seal. "Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Blast skill)!" yelled both men as two giant water dragons formed and crashed together before canceling each other out with a huge splash of water into the air, revealing Kakashi and Zabuza locked in a stale mate. Kakashi was using a single kunai to block Zabuza's sword, somehow managing to exert the same force into the little knife weapon that Zabuza did into his giant blade.

'Something isn't right," thought Zabuza. The two fighters leapt apart and Zabuza started making gestures, only to see Kakashi mimic them. 'All of my moves, my gestures, he sees…' thought Zabuza, only to have Kakashi complete his thought out loud.

(This next part goes Zabuza, Kakashi three times)

"through them all!"

'What? He's reading my mind? Damn him! He's…'

"Got that sickeningly evil look in his eye, right?"

"Feh, you're a pail imitation," Zabuza started to say, only to have Kakashi speak in sync with him, "I'm the genuine article. No mere copycat stands a chance against me!"

"Augh, you mimic me like a parrot! I'll close your beak for good!" exclaimed Zabuza as he rapidly make hand seals before froze in shock as he seemed to see a mirror image of himself behind Kakashi. 'It's me? But th-that's impossible! Is this another of his illusions?' thought the nuke-nin, not noticing that Kakashi finished the sequence of seals they both started.

"Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Style: Giant Waterfall)!" yelled Kakashi as the three comma shaped marks of his Sharingan eye spun around.

"Wh-what!" exclaimed Zabuza. 'This is absurd! Before I could even finish my jutsu he used the same jutsu against me! I can't keep up with him!' Zabuza's breath was driven from his body as he slammed into a tree. Immediately, a kunai hit each arm and leg, pinning him to the trunk. "What, can you see the future?" he gasped as Kakashi appeared on a branch above him.

"I foresee your death!" said Kakashi as he prepared to administer the coup de grace. Suddenly, tow senbon (medical acupuncture needles) struck Zabuza in the neck and he fell to the ground, not moving. Everyone followed the needles path to a pair of masked figures standing on a tree branch opposite where Kakashi was.

"Heh, heh, looks like your prediction came true," said the taller of the two, who had two long braids framing the side of their face and their hair tied up under a small cap. The other, who had a kusari-gama (sickle and chain weapon used by Kohaku of Inuyasha) in their belt, had short red hair. Kakashi teleported to Zabuza's side and checked for a pulse.

'He's dead,' thought Kakashi as he turned his attention to the two masked shinobi.

The taller one inclined their head and said, "Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind our interfering, but we have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time." Naruto couldn't be sure, but he thought the voice was that of a girl. He ran over to his friends, cursing inside his head that water was clogging his nose and making it hard to get a good scent.

"You two are Kiri shinobi hunters, are you not?" asked Kakashi as he eyed the two.

The shorter one seemed to look towards the genin and Tazuna before inclining her head also and saying, "You are correct. And if I'm not mistaken you are Sharingan Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

Kakashi nodded, while Tazuna looked confused. "What's a shinobi hunter?" he asked the genin.

Hinata was the one who answered, "Shinobi hunters track down and eliminate shinobi rouges and outlaws. They are excellent trackers and strong enough to take down a Jounin level shinobi. These two don't seem to be much older than us, but they're both already full fledged shinobi hunters. They definitely aren't your average kids."

Naruto was digging in his supply pouch for a handkerchief while this was going on and finally found one. Just before he could blow his nose, he sneezed loudly and shifted into his hanyou form. The two hunter nin had appeared by Zabuza's corpse and were preparing to take it away. Naruto managed to clear his nose and took a deep sniff. 'They're both girls, strong chakra scent, something familiar about both of them,' he thought before he dashed up to Kakashi.

The taller hunter nin regarded Naruto for a moment before saying, "Your battle is over, for now, and the remains must be disposed of, lest they give up secrets to our foes."

Kakashi nodded and was about to wish the two good luck when Naruto yelled, "He has a heart beat, they're fakes!" Both of the masked nin jerked in surprise, and Naruto could smell something that shocked him. 'Kitsune?' he thought, even as the two grabbed Zabuza's body and disappeared instantly. "They're gone!" groaned Naruto.

"Did you get their scents?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto shook his head. "Only one of them, they smelled like a kitsune. The other one I'm not sure about," he said.

Sasuke had quietly explained Naruto's transformation to Tazuna and the bridge builder said, "You guys must be tired. You can lick your wounds at my house!"

Kakashi started to take a step towards his client, only to freeze and fall over on his face.

"Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata as they rushed to turn their sensei over to a more comfortable position.

Hinata examined her teacher and grinned slightly. "You have chakra exhaustion sensei. Nothing a little rest won't fix." Kakashi nodded, watching Naruto create a Kage Bushin to take his pack and allowed Tazuna to help him stand up and carry him fireman style as he led the way to his house.

**Well, this was a long chapter, hope I did the fights nicely and you guys liked the changes. Next chapter will be up shortly, give me a week to finish it. This chapter is at least 16 pages long in word, so I'm spliting this segment of the original story into two chapters. Ja ne until next week!  
**


	6. Tail 5: Wave Country part 2

**Roar of the Dragon: A lot of you mentioned my OC. I invented her for another story, but she is from the Naruto world and I decided to bring her in so I could alter the story a little more. Anyways, here is the rest of the mission to Wave. Also, this chapter was submitted on Friday since I'll be away for the weekend for a family trip to Yosemite. Enjoy the chapter and have a happy Easter.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Tsunami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses:_

_Cobra-100: I hope that this second half lives up to your expectations and I don't ruin the story for you._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Yeah, that's my idea. Basically retell the Naruto story with a happier setting and cast._

_Scorpio V1.2: I try to stick to the original storyline as much as possible, but I'm glad you like the changes I've made._

_Shadow-Sensei: Ero-senin is going to make a lot of mistakes. Just wait and see._

_Aloi-chan: Naruto prefers to use his tails to hold Hinata since they keep her warm and allow Naruto to be ready to grab a weapon or use hand seals._

_God in a box: Hinata was staying back because her Kaiten would allow her to blast Zabuza back if he got by Naruto and Sasuke. Also, as the medic-nin of the team she tends to avoid combat if she can to conserve chakra for healing jutsu. She'll play a bigger role in this chapter._

_Story Weaver1: Yes, Tora is abused in the manga and runs away a lot. Wouldn't you? Kakashi is pretty awesome; these fights were my favorite ones with him as a major player. Unfortuneatly, the next big fight focuses more on Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata._

_xAkix: Aki will show up next chapter, I have some stuff planned already. I'm sorry about the cliffies, but I'm not sure how much I can upload to the site at one time and don't want to make the chapters to long._

_Drakedragon1: Oops, my bad. Thanks for catching that mistake, I'll fix it right away._

_The DragonBard: Gishou is a two tailed kitsune kit that is Naruto's pet/partner like Akamaru is Kiba's. I just don't mention Gishou a lot because he usually stays in Naruto's jacket or sneaks around to provide a surprise attack. I happen to like the name Kyuubi, so that is her name!_

_Ranma Hibiki: Yeah, the kitchen ware gets abused a lot. The OC will be introduced this chapter, but she is my own creation for another story and I decided to use her here._

_Joecool4: You'll find out about the oc this chapter._

_Mrasdfghj: Not really, Naruto's kitsune blood gives him the same benefits as having Kyuubi. Do you think I'd make the hero of the manga get beaten up?_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story!**

In a clearing far from Tazuna's home, the two masked shinobi set down Zabuza's body.

"Ugh, he's getting heavier and heavier each day. Why can't you keep him away from the sake Haku-nee-san?" whined the red head.

The taller of the two sighed and unrolled a tool kit on the ground before reaching for a pair of shears. "The sake helps him feel better, so who am I to deny it to him?" Haku said before moving the shears towards Zabuza's head. "First I'll remove the wrappings around the mouth so the blood can drain out and then…"

Just before the shears could be put to use, Zabuza's hand snapped up to grab Haku's wrist. "Enough! I can do it myself," he growled as he reached up and pulled the bandages masking his mouth down. "Haku, you have all the finesse of a butcher," said Zabuza as he reached up and gripped one of the senbon.

"Zabuza-sama, you must not be so reckless!" exclaimed the red head. "You could really kill yourself!"

"Huh, don't worry Akemi. Now, how long are the two of you going to keep those ghoulish masks on?" asked Zabuza.

Both shinobi removed their masks, revealing two girls. The older of the two, Haku, had long black hair that was normally kept tied up in a bun at the back of her head. As she set the mask down, her ears changed from normal human ears to small fins. That, along with the blue scaled wings and tail that appeared from inside her kimono, revealed her as a water dragon hanyou.

The smaller of the two, Akemi, had short red hair that hid the tips of her pointy ears. Now visible, her eyes were a brilliant crimson red, while the four bushy tails that appeared from inside her kimono would tell anyone from Konoha that she was a kitsune

"I'm worried about that blond, he looked like a kitsune hanyou. Do you think he got enough of our scent to recognize us later?" asked Akemi.

"I don't know, but we'll have to lay low for the next two weeks as Zabuza-sama recovers," said Haku.

"Yes, in two weeks I'll break the Sharingan spell!" growled Zabuza.

(0o0o0)

Team Seven was ready for action. The last few days had been spent resting at Tazuna's home, where they met his daughter Tsunami and grandson Inari. Inari was a pessimistic little brat, according to Naruto, and Hinata had to restrain the blond from mauling the little boy for insulting and doubting the team's skills. Sasuke had barely restrained himself from helping Naruto, and even Hinata felt like teaching Inari a lesson. So it was a relief to be out of the house and not have to listen to Inari's gloomy attitude.

"So it's decided, the new training regimen begins today!" said Kakashi. Team seven was standing in a clearing a short walk from Tazuna's home, ready to start training for their future fight with Zabuza and his allies. Kakashi was still not in tip top shape and was using crutches to get around.

"But first, let's discuss the basis of your ninja abilities, the energy known as chakra. You all have experience with chakra, in fact Naruto uses it a lot for his fox fire, Hinata to perform her family Taijutsu style, and Sasuke for his Katon jutsu."

"Whatever, we've heard all this stuff at the Academy! Just show us what you want us to do, our bodies can learn it!" said Naruto.

"Naruto is right, we already employ the shinobi arts," said Sasuke.

"Bzzt, Wrong answer! None of you yet has full mastery of your chakra. Now listen carefully. You all know that chakra is a mixture of mental and physical energies that combines within your body. Based on what jutsu you use, the type and amount of chakra that is released will be different. Right now, none of you are using your chakra effectively. Even if you are able to release a huge amount of chakra, unless you control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened and not work. Naruto, you experiences this during the Graduation Exam, from what Iruka told me," said Kakashi.

Naruto nodded thinking back to his failed attempts at Bushin no Jutsu with his chakra system screwed up by his sixth tail emerging.

Kakashi adjusted his body a little to gain some more comfort and continued his explanation. "And by wasting energy, you won't be able to fight as long, plus you also develop significant weaknesses," said the Jounin.

"So what will we do to train our chakra control?" asked Hinata, remembering the floating leaf exercise Iruka had taught them when it was to hot to do anything and the students needed something to take their minds off the heat. They had to manipulate a leaf resting on their foreheads with their chakra, making the leaf float and move from side to side. All the students had enjoyed the exercise, especially after Naruto managed to create a small ball of foxfire and use that instead of the leaf. It took him three hours to clean the burns from the ceiling.

"You learn to control your body through the harshest training, go out on a limbm and learn from the experience!" replied Kakashi.

"How do we do that?" asked Naruto.

"How? We climb trees!" said Kakashi, his expression dead serious.

"Nani? Climb trees?" yelled Naruto.

"That's right, but this won't be any ordinary tree climbing. You're not allowed to use your hands," said Kakashi.

"So this is basically how to walk on walls?" asked Naruto. When Kakashi nodded, the blond's grin grew so wide it threatened to split his face apart.

"Observe," said Kakashi as he formed the ram seal before walking towards a large tree. The three Genin watched in amazement as Kakashi walked right up the trunk of the tree like it was nothing.

"He's climbing with his legs and feet parallel to the ground!" said Sasuke.

Kakashi stopped on the first branch of the tree and stared down at his students as he said, "That's it in a nutshell. Gather your chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up a tree. Standing upside down like this is something you can do once you can use chakra well."

"Wait, how is learning to climb trees going to make us stronger?" asked Hinata.

Kakashi looked a little disappointed none of them got it and sighed before saying, "Listen and learn. The point of it all, the goal, is greater mastery over your chakra. You must use no more chakra than you need to stick to a surface, but to much and you'll be thrown off. As I said earlier, this is the most important aspect of using jutsu. This can be difficult even for a skilled shinobi, the amount of chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. And it is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult area to gather chakra. So basically, if you can learn this control, you should be able to master any jutsu, theoretically anyway." Naruto didn't pay attention to this last part, his was to busy drooling at the thought of mastering jutsu after jutsu so he could become Hokage.

Seeing he had his most hyperactive student's attention, Kakashi continued speaking, "The second objective is to develop the stamina needed to control chakra properly. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly can be very difficult. And a ninja will often be gathering his or her chakra during battle while constantly moving. This type of situation makes controlling chakra even more difficult. That's why, from this tree climbing, you must gain the stamina needed for this proper control."

Kakashi then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out three kunai as he said, "Now, no more talk, it's time for action. As Naruto said, the only way to learn is by doing," here the kunai were thrown and one landed in front of each genin as Kakashi continued, "use the kunai to mark how high you make it up the tree. Then use that mark your goal and surpass it. You guys won't be good enough to just walk up the tree at first. So get some momentum and try running up the tree. Got it?" All three genin nodded and made the ram seal to mold chakra.

"Go!" yelled Naruto and all three took off.

The results were varied. Sasuke got a few meters up before he used to much chakra and was pushed off the tree. Naruto accidentally set himself on fire as his gathered chakra became fox fire and caused him to slip as he reached the first branch. Naruto managed to grab the branch with his tails and mark his place. "Note to self, no flames!" yelled Naruto as his tails beat out the flames forming on his pant legs. Hinata on the other hand, actually managed to reach halfway up her tree easily. Her skill at manipulating chakra was clearly the best, something Naruto praised her for while hugging her.

(0o0o0)

Meanwhile, at Zabuza's hide out, Haku sat beside Zabuza's bed watching him rest. Akemi was currently sleeping in her room and Haku didn't want anything to wake her. Thus the dragon hanyou was very annoyed to hear the door opening and looked up to see Gatou flanked by his two samurai bodyguards Waraji and Zouri. "So even you have come back defeated. It looks like the Mist Country shinobi are pretty pathetic," said Gatou as he started walking towards Zabuza.

"You can't even avenge your men? And you call yourself a devil? Don't make me laugh," said the corrupt business man. The two samurai reached for their swords, causing Haku to tense.

'An attack?' thought the hanyou girl, only to see Gatou hold up his hand.

"Hold on for a second, there's no need to stay silent," said the small man as he reached towards Zabuza. "How about…" Gatou was cut off by Haku's hand clamping down on his wrist.

"Don't touch Zabuza-san with your dirty hands!" said the girl, her grip stronger than her looks suggested. Both samurai started to draw their swords, only to feel the cold embrace of Akemi's kusari-gama chain as it wrapped around their arms and kept them from moving.

"I was trying to sleep," growled the kitsune girl, her eyes red from anger at having her nap disturbed. "Now I'm pissed!" The chain tightened, threatening to break both men's' arms. Haku's grip also tightened, icy senbon forming from a glass of water beside her.

Gatou stared nervously at the hovering ice needles and sputtered, "One more time! If you fail one more time you won't be welcome here anymore, remember that!" before leaving the room with his bodyguards.

"Haku, Akemi, there was no need for that," said Zabuza as he lifter the covers of his bed to show a kunai ready in his hand.

Haku and Akemi smiled at each other before they both said, "We know, but it's to early to kill Gatou, if we cause a commotion here they'll be after us again. We must be patient."

"Yeah, you two are right," said Zabuza as he closed his eyes.

(0o0o0)

Hinata smiled as she watched Naruto and Sasuke race up their trees. Gishou was sitting in her lap for a petting session, 'They both have so much stamina, I'm going to have to train harder to keep up with them. I think Neji-ni-san's team mate Rock Lee knows a way to quickly increase stamina, maybe I should talk to him,' thought Hinata with a wince as Naruto's foot once again became surrounded in flames and he had to grab the nearest branch he could. The hanyou leapt to the ground and walked over to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata-chan, can you watch my chakra system and tell me what I'm doing wrong?" he asked. Hinata nodded, eager to help her boyfriend out. Naruto grinned and ran for the tree again. This time, Hinata watched with Byakugan active and noticed some of Naruto's Tenketsu (chakra holes) seemed to have closed themselves off for some reason.

"Naruto-kun, some of your Tenketsu are closed, I think if I open them you'll be able to master this!" said Hinata as Naruto landed on the ground. Naruto eagerly jogged over and took off his zori, allowing Hinata to open the Tenketsu for him. Unfortuneatly, they were in a ticklish spot and Naruto started rolling around laughing, causing both Sasuke and Hinata to laugh. Kakashi grinned from his hiding place where he could read his book in peace, Tsunami had forbidden him to have it out in her house and beat him over the head with her rolling pin until he put it away, glad to see his team relaxing and enjoying their time together.

(0o0o0)

Naruto sighed, the grass felt so comfortable as he lay down in the middle of the clearing. Hinata had mastered the tree climbing several days ago and was acting as Tazuna's body guard while Sasuke and he continued climbing the trees. Naruto was quickly catching up to his brother thanks to Hinata's fixing his Tenketsu, and both boys were growing in leaps and bounds as they competed to see which one of them would reach the top of their tree first. Naruto grinned as he thought of how proud their father would be, but the grin slowly faded from his face. Tazuna had told the shinobi the story of Kaiza, Inari's adopted father, who had been the hero of the Wave Country. Gatou had ordered Kaiza executed to break the spirit of the villagers of Wave, leaving him unopposed in his control of Wave except for Tazuna's bridge. Naruto fell asleep in the sunlight, dreaming of becoming the hero of Konoha.

(0o0o0)

Haku smiled as she found one of the herbs she needed. Instead of her usual battle kimono she was dressed in a pretty pink yukata and had her hair down. The girl smiled as a bird landed on her shoulder for a minute before taking off again. Following the bird's path with her eyes, Haku was surprised to see the blond shinobi who had figured out their ruse with Zabuza. The boy was sleeping in the middle of a clearing, and Haku couldn't help but be reminded of Akemi when she fell asleep and relaxed, becoming the young girl she really was instead of the battle hardened nuke-nin. Haku slowly walked over towards the boy, reaching her hand towards him. The birds resting on Naruto took off in fear, but even that wasn't enough to awaken the napping kitsune boy. Haku gently shook the boy's shoulder as she said, "You'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this," as Naruto stared at her in confusion.

Naruto sat up and yawned before asking, "Who are you?"

(0o0o0)

"Is this the plant you want?" asked Naruto as he held out said plant for the girl's inspection. When she had asked him to help her gather medicinal herbs, Naruto had been happy to oblige, pointing out several herbs his mother had taught him about that the girl didn't know about.

"Yes. So what are you doing out here at this time of morning?" asked the girl.

Naruto grinned and said, "Training!"

Haku smiled before mentioning, "I can see by your Hitai-ate that you are a Konoha ninja, that's pretty incredible. Why are you training?"

Naruto stared at her for a second before saying, "To get stronger," like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hmm, you already look strong enough to me!" said Haku with a giggle as she ruffled Naruto's hair.

"No, I have to become stronger so that I can one day become the Hokage and protect the entire village like my father! I'll make the people acknowledge me for my strength and not my family!" exclaimed Naruto.

Haku's gaze softened and she said, "Then you will become even stronger. When a person has something important to protect, that's when they can truly become strong!"

Naruto thought of Kakashi's dedication to protecting his team, Iruka taking a Fuuma Shuriken in the back for him, his parents vows to protect Konoha, and smiled. "You're right nee-san, that's what being Hokage is all about! Protecting all your precious people. I'm lucky, I already have many that I would give my life to protect."

Haku said, "You will become strong. Let's meet again somewhere," as she stood up with her basket and walked away, passing Sasuke as he entered the clearing and earning a glance from the Uchiha boy. Sasuke shrugged her off and walked up to Naruto to give him a cup of instant ramen.

"Eat up Dobe, you'll need the energy," said Sasuke. Naruto did as instructed, prepared for another day of racing to see who would make it to the top of their tree first.

(0o0o0)

That evening, Naruto and Sasuke stumbled into Tazuna's house supporting each other.

"So you're finally back, looking like something the cat dragged in," said Tazuna. Everyone at the table looked up and stared at the two boys. They were covered in scratches and a few bruises, but both looked happy.

"Heh, both of us made it to the top of the tree!" said Naruto.

"All right! Naruto, Sasuke, starting tomorrow, you two can help Hinata protect Tazuna-san," said Kakashi, to which the two boys both cheered before collapsing in their seats for dinner. Inari stared at the dozing Naruto, ignoring his grandfather and mother's banter about working to death, tears starting to gather in his eyes as memories of his father hit him like punches.

Hearing the muffled sniffles that slipped out, Naruto returned to reality and stared at Inari. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why do you wear yourself out trying? No matter how hard you'll train, you'll never be a match for Gatou's thugs! You act all cool, and you talk all tough, but big strong guys like that are always to much for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!"

"Shut up! I'm not you and I'm not gonna lose!" growled Naruto.

"Just watching you ticks me off! You go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town! What the hell do you know about me? I'm different from you, you're always clowning around and acting so cheerful, you don't know how hard life can be!" yelled Inari.

"So it's okay for you to pose of the star of tragedy and cry all day?" growled Naruto, lifting his head and staring at Inari with his fox eyes, "Just keep on crying forever you idiot! You big baby!" Sasuke groaned and reached across the table to smack Naruto on the head.

"Listen kid, I saw my whole family slaughtered before my eyes by my traitorous older brother. I would have gone insane if Naruto's family hadn't taken me in! You still have your mother and grandfather, I had no one! The few hours before I was found by Naruto were the darkest of my life. But I got over it!" yelled Sasuke.

Inari's tears overflowed and he ran out of the room crying. "I think you two were a little hard on him," said Hinata. Kakashi followed Inari outside. No one knew what the two talked about, but Inari later came back inside and went right up to his room.

(0o0o0)

The next morning, Naruto was left behind by the rest of his team as they went to the bridge without him. Kakashi had allowed the blond to sleep in because he had worked so hard the previous day, so Naruto was blissfully ignorant as he snored away. When Naruto woke up and found the sun high in the sky, he rushed downstairs. "Where'd everybody go?" he demanded as he found that Tsunami and Inari were the only occupants of the house.

"Oh! Naruto you're already awake? Kakashi-sensei said that you should rest…" said Tsunami, but Naruto was already running back upstairs ranting about how his team left him behind. Naruto dashed downstairs a few moments later, completely dressed and moving so fast Tsunami and Inari could only see a yellow topped orange blur. Naruto quickly leapt from branch to branch as he headed towards the bridge. A sudden rustling below caught Naruto's attention.

"Huh? What's that?" wondered Naruto.

(0o0o0)

Kakashi, Tazuna, Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou stared at the sight that met their eyes in shock. Tazuna's workers were lying on the ground. "What happened? What could have?" demanded Tazuna as he lifted on of his workers up gently.

"M-monsters," gasped the man.

'It can't be…' thought Kakashi, just before a thick mist appeared to cover the bridge. "They're coming!" yelled Kakashi. Sasuke seemed to be shuddering and an evil laugh they all recognized echoed through the mist.

"Long time no see Kakashi. I see you're still with those brats, and the boy is shaking again, poor kid…" said Zabuza. A large group of Mizu Bushin appeared surrounding the group, causing a brief surge of fear in Tazuna until Sasuke spoke up.

"I'm shaking from excitement!" exclaimed the dark haired boy, causing all the clones to narrow their eyes.

"Do it Sasuke!" exclaimed Kakashi cheerfully with his eye crinkled up.

All the clones started to swing their giant swords as Sasuke seemed to disappear. The next second, all the Mizu Bushin turned to water that fell to the ground. Sasuke reappeared in his original position and spun his kunai with a grin. "To easy, I thought these guys were stronger," he said.

"That brat has grown, looks like you have a rival in speed Haku," said Zabuza as he appeared with the two masked shinobi behind him.

"It does indeed," said Haku. The black haired girl stepped forward, as did Sasuke.

"This one's mine!" snarled Sasuke to Hinata.

Haku nodded as she said, "You are very good, to take out all the Mizu Bushin so quickly, even if they only have one tenth the strength of the original. I think I will enjoy this fight!" before she charged Sasuke with a senbon in her hand. The two clashed together, sparks flying as senbon strained against kunai.

"And you are my opponent," said the red haired girl to Hinata. "My name is Akemi; it is an honor to face one of Konoha's famous Hyuga clan." Akemi bowed to Hinata, while the lavender eyed girl did the same. Both settled into their combat stances, though Hinata was surprised to see she recognized Akemi's stance as one Naruto often used for sparing with flames around his fists and feet. Both girls charged forward, exchanging a series of rapid series of jabs to test each other's reflexes and defenses.

(0o0o0)

Naruto stared at the giant boar in front of him. The animal had clearly been attacked with a sword, as had most of the surrounding trees. Sniffing the air, Naruto could pick up two men, each with the scent of old blood underneath his own scent. "This is bad, I'd better go check on Tsunami and Inari!" Naruto dashed back the way he had come, arriving in time to see two samurai preparing to attack Inari as he charged at them.

The thugs unsheathed their blades as they lunged at Inari as Tsunami screamed her son's name. The two men sliced Inari into three pieces, only to see him turn into a log. 'Kawarimi no Jutsu?' thought both thugs.

"Sorry for being late," said a voice behind the thugs. "But a hero usually shows up at the last second." Both thugs turned to see Naruto setting down Tsunami and Inari.

"Naruto," gasped Inari.

"Great job Inari, thanks to you distracting them I was able to save your mom!" said Naruto.

"Well, if it isn't one of the loser shinobi Tazuna hired," said Waraji.

Naruto smirked as the two thugs charged at him. "Will you be okay?" asked Inari.

Naruto simply grinned as he grabbed his katana. Both samurai thugs sneered, knowing they had Naruto outnumbered. They weren't ready for the two Kage Bushins that leapt our from cover behind them and kicked their heads together, knocking them out. Naruto quickly tied the two to a tree and reassured Inari before he took off for the bridge again. Inari meanwhile, ran off to his neighbors, trying to rally help for the valiant shinobi.

(0o0o0)

"I don't want to kill you, but you won't stand down, will you?" asked Haku as she strained against Sasuke.

"Tch, don't be foolish!" said Sasuke with his trademark smirk.

"I see, but you won't be able to keep up with my speed the next time. Plus, I've already gained two advantages," said Haku. Seeing Sasuke's puzzled look, she continued, "The first is the water on the ground, the second is that I have occupied one of your arms. You will now only be able to run from my attacks." As she finished talking, Haku started forming seals with her free hand, much to the shock of her opponent and his team mates. Haku finished her seals and stamped the ground as she called out the jutsu in her head. 'HiJutsu, Sensatsu Suishou (Secret Skill, Flying Water Needles)!' and all the water around the two combatants became senbon that shot towards Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly gathered chakra to his feet and leapt into the air just before the first senbon hit him and threw several shuriken at Haku. The girl back flipped away from each of the projectiles and skidded to a stop, only to hear, "You're pretty slow, from now on you'll only be able to run from my attacks," from behind her as Sasuke held a kunai to her throat. Haku blocked the arm Sasuke held his kunai in as she spun to face him, only to duck as he used his fingers to flick the kunai at her face. Sasuke spun with his attack, kicking Haku in the face and sending her through the air to land by Zabuza.

Haku quickly stood up and formed a hand seal Sasuke didn't recognize. The air around Sasuke became colder as the water turned into mirrors of ice as Haku said, "Hi Jutsu, Makyou HyouShou (Secret Skill, Demonic Ice Mirrors)!" Sasuke found himself surrounded by the ice mirrors and could only watch in amazement as Haku stepped into one of the mirrors and disappeared, only to reappear on all the mirrors facing Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

Kakashi charged forward to help Sasuke, leaving Gishou to guard Tazuna, only to be intercepted by Zabuza. "Hey, your opponent is me! Against that jutsu, he's finished! And your other little brat won't last long against Akemi. I don't know where the coward with the blond hair is, but I'll enjoy hunting him down and using his tails to make a new coat for the winter!" exclaimed the nuke-nin. A thick fog quickly covered the bridge, obscuring Kakashi's view from

(0o0o0)

Hinata panted slightly, she had always had a hard time fighting Naruto if he was using foxfire and Akemi was doing that now. Hinata had only been able to close a few minor Tenketsu but had managed to avoid any serious damage from Akemi. "You're a kitsune, aren't you?" asked Hinata.

Akemi nodded, removing her mask so she could breathe easier. "I take it the reason you are doing so well is you've fought that hanyou before," replied Akemi. When she saw Hinata blush and nod slightly, Akemi grinned. "Great, I've never been able to beat Haku-nee-chan, since she uses water and can put out my fox fire, but maybe now I can have a decent fight that won't end in my opponent being burned to death after five minutes.

Hinata also smiled as she said, "Naruto-kun never goes all out against me, so I am eager to fight you and see how I would fare against him!" Both girls rushed at each other again, only this time they began a graceful dance, each movement was precise and calculated. Hinata suffered a few minor burns to her jacket, while Akemi got a few Tenketsu sealed.

Hinata suddenly saw an opening and said, "You're in the field of my divination! Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou (Sixty-four Point Hands)!" before she charged Akemi and jabbed her twice on the chest. "Two Hakke!" Four more jabs, "Four Hakke!" Eight, then sixteen, thirty two, and finally sixty four jabs were rapidly delivered to Akemi's body. "Sixty-four hands of Hakke!" exclaimed Hinata as she leapt back from Akemi. "Give up, all your Tenketsu are sealed and you won't be able to move!"

Akemi smiled and said, "You should know better, youkai can use youki as well as chakra. I still have another power source you can't cut off!" As she said this, Akemi leapt backwards and pulled out her kusari-gama. "Koodori Kusari (Dancing Chain)!" yelled the kitsune. The chain of the kusari-gama suddenly started moving like a snake and shot towards Hinata. Hinata was forced to put all her concentration into dodging the attack, which became even harder as Akemi sent her foxfire along the chain to hinder Hinata.

Hinata stumbled on a small puddle and that was all it took for Akemi's chain to wrap around her. Foxfire shot down the chain, and Hinata knew that if she didn't break free she would be burned alive. **"**Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata as she spun and expelled chakra from her Tenketsu. The chakra wave she released overpowered the foxfire and the direction of her spin allowed Hinata to unwind the chain coiled around her. "You'll have to do better than that!" said Hinata with a small smirk.

Akemi also smirked and formed several hand seals. Hinata found herself surrounded by several clones of the kitsune girl. Akemi formed a large ball of foxfire in her hands and her clones mimicked her. Hinata's eyes narrowed and she rapidly formed seals before yelling, "Suiton: Mizu-gan (Water gun) no Jutsu!" and spinning around as she raiser her hands as if she was holding a bat and trying to hit all of the kitsune girls around her with it. Water shot out from between Hinata's hands, dousing Akemi's foxfire and destroying her clones. "When your teammates love to play with foxfire and Katon jutsu, you have to learn a few Suiton jutsu to put out their messes!" said Hinata with a grin at the soaked kitsune.

(0o0o0)

"Haku lost at speed and Akemi at Taijutsu?" growled Zabuza.

Kakashi had a smirk beneath his mask as he said, "I can't have you underestimating my team by calling them 'brats'. Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha's number one rookie, Hinata is the Hyuga heiress, and the blond coward as you called him is the hyperactive number one loudest ninja in the village, Uzumaki Naruto! They're three of the best shinobi Konoha has produced in many years and have the potential to become even greater than the Legendary Senin!" The two men resumed their combat, each one managing to get in a few good jabs to the other.

(0o0o0)

"Let me show you some real speed!" said Haku as she held up a senbon in her hand.

Sasuke suddenly felt a scratch on his arm, then a bunch of blurs started shooting around inside the mirrors, each blue cutting Sasuke as they passed him. Sasuke let out a scream of pain, which caused Hinata to be distracted for a crucial second. Akemi's chain shot out and hit Hinata in the forehead, knocking her out cold. As Akemi walked over to Hinata and raised her sickle to finish the blue haired girl off, she suddenly found herself facing a small two tailed fox that had leapt onto Hinata's chest and was growling at her with no intention of letting her kill his best friend's girlfriend.

"Beware shi-bibu (four-tail), this girl has the protection of Kyuubi-hime! Kill her and you will lose all your tails and be reduced to a dumb beast!" growled Gishou.

"And why would Kyuubi-hime care about this little girl ni-bibu (two-tail)?" asked Akemi with a raised eyebrow.

"This girl is the future mate of her son, Uzumaki Naruto! Kill her and not even Kami-sama will be able to hide you from Kyuubi-hime's wrath!" replied Gishou.

Akemi froze, realizing that Naruto was the hanyou she had seen before and would probably be showing up soon. Sure enough, an orange and yellow streak zoomed past Tazuna and skidded to a halt in front of Hinata, creating a huge smoke cloud. The smoke was suddenly dispersed by a massive battle aura that surrounded Naruto. Akemi quickly backed away from her former opponent and dropped her kusari-gama. The kitsune girl whimpered and collapsed to her knees before baring her neck to Naruto. "Forgive me Naruto-sama, I have not seen another kitsune my whole life and didn't know of the warning your mother issued about this girl. I only ask that you allow me to plead my case to Kyuubi-hime and allow her to pass judgment on me. I assure you that your future mate isn't dead and is only unconscious," said Akemi. Naruto's killing intent rapidly diminished as he remembered that foxes, dogs, and wolves barred their necks when they were confronted by a higher ranking pack member and knew they had done wrong.

"Very well shi-bibu, you shall accompany us to Konoha for your audience with my mother. Guard Hinata with your life until I return," said Naruto before he turned towards the fight between Haku and Sasuke. Gishou took this opportunity to dart past the deadlocked Kakashi and Zabuza and rejoin Tazuna. Naruto leapt into the air and hurled a kunai at one of the mirrors, only to see Haku pop out and catch the weapon. However, Haku didn't notice the shuriken heading towards her from behind until it was almost to late. The hunter nin girl barely managed to avoid the shuriken, a large scar across her mask the only evidence that she had been attacked from behind. The Naruto by Hinata and Akemi landed and grinned before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Akemi watched wide eyed as the real Naruto appeared outside Haku's mirror prison.

"Hmm, ice mirrors, eh? Lets see how they hold up against my fox fire!" said Naruto as he braced his body with a wide side ways stance and held his hands by his right side. Fox fire gathered in between Naruto's hands and formed a swirling blue sphere of flame. Kakashi's eye widened, the technique looked vaguely like Ken's Rasengan. Naruto lunged forward with the fire ball before him as he yelled, "Rasengan kitsune bi (fox fire)!" and shoved the fire ball into one of Haku's mirrors. The mirror held for a second before shattering and Naruto landed on his feet beside Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke, need some help?" asked Naruto with a grin.

Naruto's grin turned into a frown as Sasuke smacked him on the head. "Dobe, why did you come in here with me! Now she can get both of us easily!" yelled Sasuke, not minding all the blood from the numerous cuts covering his body. Haku proved his words true by attacking from each mirror again.

Both boys panted as they stood back to back and tried to figure out which Haku was the real one. Naruto suddenly collapsed, a few senbon had hit pressure points on his neck that paralyzed him and caused him to collapse. 'Kuso, I can't protect Naruto and still avoid all her attacks. This is looking bad! My eyes are used to her speed now, maybe I can finally get in a hit!' Haku's next volley of attacks was targeted at Sasuke mostly, but the black haired boy managed to evade the senbon aimed for disabling him and used one of his Fuuma Shuriken to deflect the needles that would have killed Naruto. Haku's arm suddenly shot out of a mirror and grabbed the giant shuriken, pulling it out of Sasuke's grasp and tossing it outside the mirror prison.

Haku's voice suddenly came from all the mirrors. "I would prefer that the two of you not force me to kill you, but I doubt that you will do that. I am quite capable of making my heart as hard as ice and becoming a true shinobi! You move well, but my next attack will finish you!" As soon as Haku finished speaking, she attacked again.

'Stay focused, keep calm, focus chakra to my eyes!' thought Sasuke before he felt a slight itching in his eyes. Sasuke barely managed to dodge all the fake Haku clones and grab Naruto before diving out of the way of the real Haku's attack.

Naruto and Haku both stared at Sasuke in shock and saw that his eyes had changed. They were now red and the right one had two small comma shaped marks surrounding the pupil while the left had a single comma. 'Sharingan!' was the word that echoed through both hanyous' minds.

'Kuso, I can't let this fight go on much longer. I'm using to much chakra to keep up my ice mirrors and I don't dare attack him directly!' thought Haku. The girl gripped a senbon between each finger and came up with a plan. 'But if I use his friend as bait…' "Time to end this!" yelled Haku as she shot out of her mirror and towards the prone Naruto.

'No, not again! I won't let my brother be taken from me again!' thought Sasuke as he focused all the chakra that he could to his legs and leapt into Haku's path. Naruto heard the sound of fist hitting flesh behind him and felt the spray of blood on his back. With a surge of chakra, the hanyou boy managed to overcome his paralysis and turned around to see Haku lying on the ground with Sasuke between the girl and Naruto.

"Way to go Sasuke! You got her…." Naruto's cheer trailed off as he saw needles covering Sasuke's body and his brother coughing up blood. "Why?" gasped Naruto.

"Dobe, we may not be birth brothers, but we swore an oath together that we would never abandon each other!" exclaimed Sasuke before he spat more blood from his mouth.

Naruto remembered that day well, it was soon after Itachi murdered the rest of the clan…

Flashback begins

Naruto peeked into Sasuke's new room, wishing he could do something to help his best friend. Sasuke had not spoken to anyone since he entered the Uzumaki house two days ago and Naruto was worried. "Come on Sasuke, don't give up on life! You've got so much to live for!" said Naruto as he slipped into the room and closed the door.

"What do you mean? I lost everything! My brother, my parents, my family, all gone!" roared Sasuke as he spun around and slammed Naruto into the wall.

Naruto's eyes dimmed and he whispered, "You still have me and Hinata-chan! I've always thought of you as a brother and I'll prove it!" Naruto used one of his fangs to make a slit on his arm. "With this blood I, Uzumaki Naruto, swear that we'll always be brothers in spirit and never abandon each other!" said Naruto. Sasuke stared at Naruto for a second before he used a kunai to make a matching slit on his own wrist.

"I, Uchiha Sasuke, take you, Uzumaki Naruto, as my blood brother! From now on we will be joined by blood and spirit and only death will part us!" said Sasuke as he pressed his wrist to Naruto's wrist. Both boys felt a sort of heat flow into their bodies and drew their arms back, only to see both slits were healed. Sasuke would later find that minor cuts and scratched healed rapidly while his senses were stronger, while Naruto's eye sight sharpened and his foxfire became stronger. Neither boy mentioned the pact to their parents, but from then on everyone regarded the two as brothers.

End flashback

Naruto could only watch as Sasuke whispered "I'm sorry," before falling backwards. Naruto barely managed to catch Sasuke's body. "I swore I wouldn't die until I killed Itachi. Forgive me Naruto, looks like I won't be able to see you become Hokage," whispered Sasuke before his eyes closed and Naruto heard his heart slow and then stop.

Haku slowly stood up, her heart aching that she had to kill two boys who shared the same sibling bond she did with Akemi. "He hit me and sacrificed himself to save you without flinching. He is a shinobi worthy of the greatest respect, who threw himself into danger to save a person he cared for even when he knew it was a trap," said the girl as she turned away from the two and prepared to melt back into her mirrors. "This must be the first time you've lost a comrade, but this is the Shinobi Way," said Haku, only to be cut off by Naruto.

"Shut up!" growled the blond as he slowly stood up. Naruto's Hitai-ate band had apparently been tied sloppily in his rush to get to the bridge and as a result had slipped off when Sasuke shoved Naruto out of the way of Haku's previous attack. Haku felt a chill as a wave of chakra shot out from Naruto and caused her ice mirrors to shiver. Haku's mouth was wide open behind her mask as she saw the ground start to crack and a large fox head made of red chakra form above Naruto. Naruto's wounds rapidly disappeared as the red chakra swept over them. Naruto turned to face Haku and the girl gulped as she saw Naruto's eyes were red and slited like a fox's while the whisker marks on his cheeks were wider and darker.

(0o0o0)

Kakashi gulped as he sensed the huge surge of chakra Naruto was emitting. 'Kuso, Hinata is out cold and she's the only one who could get Naruto to calm down if he goes on a rampage. It looks like his katana is preventing his kitsune blood from overwhelming his control, but I think his Hitai-ate got knocked off during the fight. This could be very bad.' Kakashi quickly pulled a small scroll from one of the scroll pouches on his vest and flipped it into the air to open it while he jabbed his thumb into a large cut on his chest Zabuza had given him. The masked Jounin quickly whipped open the scroll and spread his blood along the long piece of paper. "Zabuza, we're both busy men, so let's end this now!" said Kakashi as he twirled the scroll, causing it to roll up into his hand, before he flipped the scroll up into the air and caught it with his thumbs as he formed the tiger seal.

"Humph, sounds interesting, but what can you do in this situation?" asked Zabuza's voice from his hiding place in the fog.

(0o0o0)

Haku was nervous, Naruto looked like he was going bezerk and would attack her in a moment. The hanyou girl gripped four senbon in each hand and tensed as Naruto raised his head to glare at her. 'Here he comes!' thought Haku as Naruto bounded forward on all fours. Haku threw her senbon at Naruto, who let out a loud growl accompanied by a burst of chakra that repelled the needles. Haku was now above Naruto in a mirror and dived downwards towards him. Naruto glanced up and suddenly flipped out of the way of the attack, landing on his hands and feet ready to attack again. Haku darted towards a mirror to try to escape, only to have Naruto grab her arm and bring her to a rough stop. Naruto growled and emitted another chakra wave, this time Haku's mirrors couldn't stand the pressure and cracked. Haku struggled to push back the chakra, only to feel Naruto tighten his grip on her arm before he cocked his fist and sent it crashing into her mask. The impact tore Haku from Naruto's grasp and she crashed through her own mirrors, skidding to a stop some distance from the mirror prison. Haku's mask cracked along the scrape Naruto's shuriken had made and Haku knew it would break soon. Haku's remaining mirrors cracked and disappeared as Haku slowly stood up, causing Naruto to start in surprise and dart towards the girl. 'Zabuza-sama, I cannot defeat this boy' thought Haku as her mask crumbled to pieces and Naruto darted closer and closer. As the last piece fell, Haku's face was revealed and she mentally resigned herself to death. Naruto's fist came closer and closer to Haku's face before it stopped an inch from her forehead. Haku was so shocked she reverted to her hanyou form.

"You're that girl from the forest," said Naruto, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. The red chakra, which Haku suspected was youki mixing with Naruto's normal chakra, slowly died down and Naruto's eyes when he looked up were there normal sky blue.

"Why did you stop?" asked Haku. "I killed your brother and you can't kill me?" Naruto glanced back at Sasuke's still body and then decked Haku. The memory of Haku's speech in the woods rang through Naruto's head, keeping him from finishing the girl off. "There are people who make this mistake, not killing their enemy because of pity, letting them leave with just their lives. Can you understand not having a dream, not being needed by anyone, the pain of simply living, knowing you have let your precious person down? Zabuza has no need for a weak shinobi, you have taken away my reason for existing."

"Why for a guy like that? He's a bad guy who takes money from a criminal. Is that eye-browless freak the only important person to you? What about that other girl?" yelled Naruto. Haku's eyes widened and she peered through the mist to see Akemi staring at her in fear from her place beside Hinata's still body. "I know I have Hinata-chan, my parents, and all of Konoha as my precious people. I have vowed to protect them all!" exclaimed Naruto.

Haku slowly started to speak, telling a story Akemi had heard several times. "I to once had precious people, my parents. I was born in a small snowy village in Mist Country. I was happy, my parents were very kind. My father was a water dragon that saved my mother's life when she fell in his river. They fell in love and got married, though no one knew my father was a youkai. But when I began to grow up, something happened. Someone discovered my father's secret and the villagers attacked my parents. My mother was the carrier of a advanced bloodline and used it to try to protect my father. The villagers grew enraged, for they blamed those clans with advanced bloodlines like your brother for bringing war and misfortune to the country. My parents were both killed before my eyes and I instinctively created a blizzard that drove off my attackers. I then ran away from the village, learning that not all youkai were kind like my father and hated hanyou. I realized that in this world I was a person who was unwanted. When I first met Akemi, her parents had been slain by bear youkai and she was alone. We survived together until Zabuza-san found us and took us in. He knew about my being a hanyou and my advanced bloodline, but he didn't hate it, he desired it! (No, he isn't a pedophile!) Zabuza-san eventually grew disgusted with the way things were run in Kiri and left, taking Akemi and me with him. We were his weapons, his tools. Naruto-kun, please kill me. I have no desire to be a useless tool."

As soon as Akemi heard Haku ask for death, she turned into a red and black streak as she ran to Haku and glomped onto her. "No Haku-ne-san, you can't die! You remember your promise to me, that once Zabuza-san had taken control of Kiri we would live together as a family?" Haku's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her little sister. The dragon girl had forgotten that dream of living in peace in a village where they weren't hated because she always knew in the back of her head that it couldn't happen. But now, hearing Naruto speak of Konoha and seeing how much his teammates cared for him, she thought it just might be possible. The mist that had covered the battle zone faded rapidly, allowing Naruto to see Hinata, who had just regained consciousness.

"Naruto-kun!" yelled the girl, before she seemed to disappear and reappear at Naruto's side with a glomp that knocked Naruto onto his tails and drove the wind from his lungs. Hinata snuggled up to her boyfriend, sighing as his tails wrapped around her.

"Hinata-chan….can't….breathe!" gasped Naruto. Hinata immediately released Naruto, and then looked around for Sasuke. When she saw his body lying still a short distance away, Hinata gasped and ran to his side.

Hinata examined Sasuke with her Byakugan, praying she wasn't too late. Naruto followed Hinata, pressing his fox ear against Sasuke's chest in hopes of catching a heartbeat. Both genins' eyes widened as they yelled, "He's alive!" before springing into action. Naruto started performing mouth to mouth while Hinata carefully removed the senbon from Sasuke's neck.

The Uchiha boy gasped and turned his head to the side as he spat something out of his mouth. "Dobe, you need to brush your teeth, your morning breathe reeks!" exclaimed Sasuke.

Naruto growled and pulled Sasuke upright by his shirt. "Oh yeah? Well who said that you could go and take a killing blow for me? Do you know what Oka-san would do if I let you get away with that? She'd march to King Emma's desk and drag you back here before grounding you for a month!"

The sudden sound of a flock of birds chirping brought everyone's attention to Zabuza and Kakashi. Zabuza was being held in place by a bunch of nin-dogs Kakashi had summoned and Kakashi was gripping his right hand with his left that had blue lightning like chakra crackling around it. "I'll ask one more, surrender. Your future is death," said Kakashi. When the nuke-nin didn't reply, Kakashi charged forward, preparing to ram his sole original jutsu, Chidori, through Zabuza's chest.

Haku's eyes widened and she rapidly formed specific hand seals as she whispered, "I'm sorry Zabuza-san, this is all I can do." A puddle of water near Zabuza froze rapidly and formed an ice mirror that shot in front of Kakashi. The Chidori slammed into and through the mirror, knocking Kakashi's aim off just enough that Zabuza didn't die. He had a gaping wound in the side of his chest though, and knew he would die soon. Kakashi's dogs disappeared in clouds of smoke as Zabuza collapsed to his knees.

Zabuza gasped and raised his head to stare at Haku and saw Akemi holding her tightly, the look of sadness and regret on Haku's face telling him she had made her choice and was going to move on with her life. The hanyou girl and Akemi suddenly appeared by Zabuza, tears in their eyes. "Haku, watch over Akemi. You two have been the only good things in my life and you deserve better than this. Kakashi, take them to Konoha, where they can live in peace and enjoy their lives," said Zabuza. Kakashi nodded, the glares he felt from his team telling that if he didn't they would tell Kyuubi that he had been reading his book in front of them while they climbed the trees. The sound of footsteps from the end of the bridge caught everyone's attention; they turned to see Gatou in front of a horde of thugs. "Gatou, why are you here? And what's with all these men?" asked Zabuza. Naruto scowled, his nose could detect the smell of greed and lust that seemed to radiate off of Gatou. Judging by Akemi and Gishou's reactions, they felt it also. Behind his back, Naruto created a chibi Kage Bushin that ran up to Akemi and Haku.

"Listen, I've got a plan, here's what we need to do…" said the chibi as it started explaining the plan to the two.

Gatou's mouth was stretched in a gross grin as he said, "Hehehe, the plan has changed. Well, actually I was planning to do this from the beginning. Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here, I never planned on paying you any money. Hiring a normal ninja from the village is expensive and they may betray me, so I use you nuke-nins who are easier to take care of afterwards. I have the ninja battle each other and once they're weakened I kill them off with numbers. It doesn't cost me anything. Good plan, don't you think? The only problem in the plan was you, Zabuza. The Devil of the Hidden Mist? What a joke, if you ask me. You're just a cute little baby devil." Zabuza's face darkened and he slowly stood up. All the thugs cheered about how they could easily kill the Konoha and Kiri shinobi.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry, this fight is over. Now that I have no reason to go after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you." Kakashi nodded, rapidly figuring out how much chakra he had so he could figure out the best way to utilize it in defeating the bandits. "Kakashi, can you lend me a kunai?" asked the nuke-nin. Kakashi tossed one of his kunai into the air, allowing Zabuza to catch it with his teeth. The Devil of the Mist charged towards Gatou, who frantically tried to put as many of his thugs between them as he could.

"That's enough, kill them!" yelled Gatou. His thugs moved into Zabuza's path, only to see a giant aura of killing intent that shaped itself into a demon head above Zabuza. Gatou's eyes widened as Zabuza cut through one thug after another, even though he was being stabbed and cut repeatedly. Zabuza reached Gatou even as three thugs stabbed him all at once.

Zabuza glared at his erstwhile employer and growled, "You and I together are going to hell!" Gatou panicked and tried to run, even as Zabuza continued, "This will be fun! We'll have plenty of time to see if I'm a baby devil down in hell!" Zabuza then sliced off Gatou's head, causing all three Konoha Genin to gulp. Haku suddenly disappeared from her place and grabbed Zabuza before reappearing back in her original position. "Haku and Akemi, this is goodbye. Thank you for everything," gasped Zabuza before he breathed his last. Haku closed the nuke-nin's eyes and folded his hands on his chest.

The sound of the thugs yelling drew all the shinobis' attention to them. "Hey, aren't you sweethearts forgetting something? You shinobi killed our meal ticket. Now you're going to die and we'll pillage the village and take anything of value! Let's go!" yelled the thugs.

Akemi and Naruto darted forward and put themselves in between Kakashi and the thugs. "We'll handle this Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto as they both formed the tiger seal. However, before they could perform their jutsu, an arrow hit the bridge in between them and the thugs. All the shinobi turned to see Inari leading a large group of villagers armed with crossbows, spears, axes, swords, and other simple weapons.

"If you come any further onto this island, the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got!" yelled Inari. The thugs started to panic, the more cowardly ones running to get to the boat that had brought them there. Inari smirked and said, "He he, a hero shows up at the last second, right?" to Naruto.

Naruto grinned and said, "Good one kid, now we'll take care of any of these punks that didn't get the message!" Akemi nodded, both shinobi gathering chakra in preparation for their

Both shinobi yelled, "Katon: Kitsune-hou (Fox Cannon) no jutsu!" before combining their jutsu into one. Naruto and Akemi's foxfire blasts formed a giant fox head. The giant flame apparition shot towards the already unnerved thugs, causing many to dive off the bridge because they couldn't get to their boat in time. As the last of the thugs left the bridge, the villagers let out a loud cheer. Amidst the happiness, Haku and Akemi cried silent tears for the man who took them in when no one else would.

(Two weeks later)

"Rest in peace, Zabuza-san!" said Akemi and Haku as they knelt in front of the nuke-nin's grave. Zabuza's sword was placed in the ground behind the simple log cross that marked Zabuza's final resting place. "Today we leave for a new place, full of hope and life. We wish you could come with us," finished the two girls. Both girls stood up and pulled on their backpack, following Team Seven to the completed bridge. Haku was dressed in the pink yukata she had worn in the woods with her hair down behind her back, while Akemi now wore a T-shirt with the words 'I'm hot and I know it' on the front and a pair of cargo shorts with a hole for her tails. Both girls only had a small wardrobe and looked forward to going on a shopping trip with Hinata in Konoha.

"Zabuza said that the only reason a ninja exists is to be a tool for their home to use in whatever way they must. But I think that is wrong. I've made up my mind, I'm going to create my own nindo!" said Naruto. Hinata smiled and squeezed one of Naruto's tails, causing him to grin and hug her with another tail. At the bridge, the shinobi said goodbye to Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari.

"Thanks to you our country was saved, but it will be awfully dull around here without you energetic youngsters," said Tazuna.

"Heh, don't worry old man, we'll be back some day," said Naruto with a grin.

"You'd better," said Inari, his face trembling as he struggled to hold in his tears.

"Inari, don't let it get you down! It's okay to cry, if you really want to!" said Naruto.

"I'm not going to cry, but you can Naruto-ni-san!" exclaimed the boy.

"Me? No way! See you," said Naruto as he turned and started walking away.

Both Inari and Naruto were silently blubbering, even as they smiled. Tazuna grinned and said, "That boy touched Inari's heart and Inari touched the hearts of all the people in our city. Naruto built the bridge that eventually carried us all to hope and courage. Speaking of bridges, we still have to officially dedicate this one, and there's only one name that will fit."

Inari stopped crying and yelled, "The Great Naruto Bridge!"

"That's just what I was thinking," said Tazuna as he pulled a dedication plaque from his back pack and prepared to mount it on the bridge.

In the distance, the shinobi party walked along, satisfied with a mission completed and new friends.

**And that's another tail done. I think I'll have a small interlude chapter next that will feature all the major Konoha shinobi having a relaxing week off before the announcement of the Chunin Exams. Ja ne until next week!**


	7. Tail 6: Return to Konoha and a New Team

**Roar of the Dragon: Sorry this chapter was so late, I've been side tracked this week and didn't get much writing done. The next chapter will be the start of the Chunin Exam.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Tsunami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses:_

_Cobra-100:I'm sorry that you feel I screwed it up, but I wanted Haku to be able to relate to Naruto as a hanyou and see that there is a better life available for her and Akemi in Konoha._

_Demon Eyes Laharl: Thanks for pointing that out, by clones I just meant that was the first explanation Sasuke came up with._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Akemi will be an adopted sibling in this story, but still a younger sister to Naruto._

_Story Weaver1: Glad you liked the foxfire mistake. I personally think the battles weren't my best, but we'll be having some big ones soon._

_D-sama: Naruto can't assume a full fox form until he gets all nine of his tails. He can 'fox out' where his chakra assumes the form of a fox, but only if his Hitai-ate and sword are not on his person and his kitsune blood takes over._

_God in a Box: I'm glad you like Akemi, she's there mainly to give Haku a reason to exist instead of dieing for Zabuza. I'm glad I didn't screw up the story for you._

_Kortir: I'm glad I impressed you so much, sorry this chapter was later than I said it would be, real life sucks and got in the way of my writing over spring break._

_TimeShifter: This is NaruHina! They're the perfect couple and the central relationship in this fic! I have other plans for Akemi and Haku in the relationship area._

_Black Knife: The Rookie 9 and Gai's team are exactly what I mean. Who else appears as major characters besides Iruka who isn't evil? Kyuubi won't be to mean to Akemi, she's a mother and can't stand to see kids mistreated._

_Crazyhanyoued: Thanks for the correction, I have trouble keeping all the different names for the Japanese gods straight._

_Joecool4: Akemi is a full kitsune, not a hanyou. You'll see what happens with them this chapter._

_Scorpio V1.2: Yes, I'm keeping to the basic story arcs in the manga with a couple of interval chapters like this one thrown in. Some things will change but the basic flow of events will be the same as the manga._

_Patch5129: Haku and Akemi won't compete for Naruto, but Sasuke is fair game. (Hint Hint!). I'd love to see this story animated, but I don't have the drawing skills or connections to get that done._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

"Well, this mission sure turned out interesting," said Ken with a sigh as he stared at Team Seven, Akemi, and Haku. "I have to admit, I didn't expect you guys to have to face such a high level shinobi so soon. However, you proved that in a tight situation you three can take on almost anyone. I think you'll have to wait a while before you try to take on a senin or Kage, but in a few years you might be able to give a Konoha Jounin a good serious fight."

Naruto grinned and said, "Yeah, the only reason we beat Kakashi no Hentai was because he wasn't ready and underestimated us." Kakashi glared at Naruto but refrained from hitting the boy since Kyuubi was in the room giving everyone a check up to make sure they hadn't picked up any bugs on their mission. Akemi was nervously fidgeting on her seat, unnerved by being in the presence of the queen of the kitsune. The four tailed kitsune didn't look forward to explaining her actions to Kyuubi, but she knew she would have to if she hoped to live in Konoha with Haku.

"Well, everything looks fine," said Kyuubi as she finished examining Hinata. "The only irregularity I can find is in you, Naruto. It looks like your kitsune blood getting unleashed on the bridge for the second time accelerated the growth of your seventh tail. It will take about a week to grow in, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask your team to take the next week off and stick to simple training. Now if the rest of you would wait outside, I need to talk to Akemi."

Haku, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata obediently filed out of the room and sat down in the seats outside Ken's office for waiting visitors while Kakashi left to go 'clean his house', which meant read his porn. Haku stared at the doors that separated her from her little sister and Naruto could smell the nervousness pouring out from her. "Relax Haku-chan, Oka-san isn't very mean unless you really piss her off, and at the worst she'll say Akemi-chan has to leave Konoha," said Naruto. Gishou barked his agreement before jumping onto Hinata's lap and curling up for a nice nap.

(0o0o0)

Back in the office, Akemi was fidgeting nervously under Kyuubi and Ken's gaze. "Now Akemi, please tell me when was the last time you had any contact with other kitsune?" asked Kyuubi.

"That would be my parents, we lived in a forest in Mist Country and there weren't any other kitsune around. My parents had told me of your marriage to Hokage-sama, but I was not aware of the birth of your son Naruto or the bond he shares with Hinata-san," said Akemi. Kyuubi nodded, she remembered Akemi's parents as being one of her major contacts in Mist Country and their deaths had been reported to her.

"How did your parents die?" asked Ken.

"A pair of bear youkai found our den while my parents were out hunting and tried to make me their dinner. Oka-san and Otou-san arrived in time to save me, but the bears wouldn't back down and went bezerk. My parents died while I ran and hid like they told me to, which is how Haku-ne-san found me. She helped me kill the bears and avenge my parents with her bloodline ability and we've been together ever since. Then Zabuza-san found us and took us in. We've lived with him until our encounter with your son's team. As soon as Gishou told me of your decree protecting Hinata-chan, Kyuubi-hime, I immediately stopped my assault and protected her from any stray projectiles from the others' fights. I came here to ask for your forgiveness for harming you kit's future mate and I can only plead ignorance of the decree surrounding her," said Akemi.

Kyuubi and Ken glanced at each other and smiled before turning their attention back to the fox girl. "Well, given the circumstances, I judge that you did the appropriate thing and are not worthy of being punished. You are free to live with Haku in our house," said Kyuubi, while Ken nodded to show his support.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Kyuubi-hime, Hokage-sama!" gasped Akemi as she sank into a bow on her knees. Kyuubi giggled, breaking the strict atmosphere and causing two pairs of hanyou ears and one pair of kitsune ears outside to twitch.

"You can come back in," said Kyuubi as she opened the office door to find Naruto and Haku leaning against the wall to allow their ears to hear as much as they could. All four of the kids and Gishou were eagerly waiting for the door to open and the whole group was inside Ken's office in a second. Seeing that Akemi was smiling, Haku knew that her sister had been given good news. "We've decided that Haku-chan and Akemi-chan will be living with us," said Kyuubi with a smile.

Naruto tilted his head to the side and asked, "Ano, does this mean Akemi-chan and Haku-chan are now my sisters?"

"That depends on what they want Naruto," said Ken as he saw the two girls in question looking at him with wide eyes.

Kyuubi smiled and said, "I've been wanting some girls around, Sasuke and Naruto are in need of more female companionship than Hinata."

Sasuke shuddered and yelled, "I already have fan girls chasing after me all the time, do you think I wanted one in the house full time? The only thing different about Hinata, Haku, and Akemi is they respect my skills and privacy!" Seeing Naruto trying to withstand a snort of laughter, the Uchiha boy gave a level ten death glare and growled, "You're luck the Uzumaki Naruto Fan Club's sole member and president is Hinata! Sakura and Ino are enough to make me consider becoming a nuke-nin to get away from them! Haven't you seen them lurking behind the bushes around the house hoping to jump me?" Naruto's grin disappeared and he shuddered. He had seen Sakura and Ino several times, even been tackled by Ino at one point during a late night kitchen raid when he accidentally grabbed one of Sasuke's sleeping shirts that had somehow ended up in his closet from the clothes rack to preserve his modesty. Naruto had not enjoyed the experience, and neither did Ino. Naruto had reacted like any good shinobi and rolled with her glomp to slam the girl into the kitchen wall, knocking her out. Upon seeing who his 'attacker' was, Naruto returned Ino to her bedroom without waking her and forgot the incident.

"I see your point. Well, let us show drop off our stuff at home and visit Ichiraku! I'm in the mood for a ramenfest (eating as much ramen as possible without bursting)!" said Naruto with a grin. A quick run to the Uzumaki house had the majority of the group's belongings stowed in their rooms. Haku chose a room overlooking the small koi pond in the backyard while Akemi's room had a bunch of fancy woodwork trim. Both girls were in awe of the house, having been forced to live in small apartments with Zabuza for most of their lives after their parents' deaths. After dropping everything off, a quick walk to the Hyuga mansion took care of Hinata's things. Then it was off to Ichiraku with Naruto in the lead smacking his lips.

(0o0o0)

"This is amazing!" said Haku as she took another bite of her shrimp ramen. It turned out that the dragon girl had a love of sea food that came from being raised in an island nation. Akemi's tails were twitching in happiness as she enjoyed a dango with her chicken ramen. Hinata was smiling as Naruto and she fed each other bites or ramen, which caused Sasuke to grin and ask when the wedding was. Of course, Sakura and Ino passed by right then and thought he was proposing to them, causing Team Seven, Haku, and Akemi to have to pay and leave in a hurry to avoid the resulting catfight.

"Those two were Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. They're the presidents of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club. Both of them want to marry Sasuke and are a huge source of annoyance for him. Come on, we'll introduce you to some of our other friends while we show you the rest of the sights around town," said Naruto as he led the way towards the academy.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, what are you all doing here and who are your new friends?" asked Iruka. The teacher had been glad to see his former students and take a break from grading papers.

"Haku-chan, Akemi-chan, this is Iruka-sensei. Iruka-sensei, meet Haku-chan and Akemi-chan, the newest guests at château Uzumaki. Iruka-sensei taught all of our friends and us here in the academy in the basics of the Shinobi arts," said Hinata.

"It is a pleasure to meet you girls," said Iruka as he got up and bowed. Haku and Akemi returned the bow, Haku thinking how different the academy in Konoha was compared to the one in Kiri. Iruka answered a few questions about the things he taught his students, which gave Haku and Akemi a good grasp of what their friends knew already. After saying goodbye to Iruka, Naruto led the group to training ground three. There Team Seven described their Genin exam, causing Haku and Akemi to laugh so hard they cried tears of mirth at Kakashi's defeat.

A bark on the edge of the training ground caught everyone's attention and they looked up to find Kiba and Shino walking out of the trees with Akamaru perched on Kiba's head. "About time you three got back, who are the newbies?" asked Kiba.

"We just got back today, the mission turned out to be more difficult than anticipated," said Sasuke. "Akemi, Haku, the guy with the dog is Inuzuka Kiba and the dog is Akamaru. The tall silent guy is Shino, if you're lucky he'll say hi when he passes you in the street but most of the time he is silent. Guys, these lovely ladies are Akemi and Haku, we met and fought them in Wave Country and they decided to come to Konoha with us."

Akamaru gave an excited bark and jumped down from Kiba's head to run to Akemi and sniff her for a few seconds before barking happily and jumping up to lick Akemi's face. The fox girl giggled and hugged the puppy, while Kiba whistled in surprise. "Wow, Akamaru hasn't taken to anyone that quickly before. He must really like you," said the dog user.

Akemi smiled and scratched Akamaru's ear, saying, "I've always gotten along with dogs," as she revealed her fox tails with a grin.

"A kitsune, eh? Naruto, you'd better not be trying to cheat on Hinata!" exclaimed Kiba with a grin to show he was joking. Kiba suddenly found his body slammed against the closest tree trunk and an angry Naruto in his face.

"How can you say that Kiba? I've been in love with Hinata since we were little kids, I'd never cheat on her!" growled Naruto, his eyes turning bright red for a minute and causing Kiba to know how close Naruto was to loosing his temper and beating the stuffing out of him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. It was a bad joke," said Kiba as he hung his head. Naruto nodded and released Kiba, allowing the dog user to regain his footing. Akamaru barked at Kiba several times, causing the boy's face to flush as he yelled, "No I did not! How can you even suggest I would want to steal Hinata?" Hinata blushed slightly at this, Kiba had asked her to be his girlfriend several years ago and been disappointed when she told him that she was already in love with Naruto. Kiba had taken it well and Hinata hoped he would find the right girl for him someday.

"Now, now, I'm sure Akamaru didn't mean that badly," said Akemi. "Besides, I have no interest in Naruto, he's already taken."

Shino stared at Kiba for a second, causing the dog-user to snap his fingers and say, "Oh yeah, we've got to go, we promised Kurenai-sensei we'd find Sakura for their Genjutsu training." Seeing the weird looks Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were giving him, Kiba growled, "What? I've worked with Shino long enough that I can understand him, even when he doesn't say anything. Well, we'll see you guys around!" Both boys left, though Akamaru seemed reluctant to leave Akemi alone and only followed Kiba when the boy threatened to feed him cat food instead of the usual ground beef he normally got. Akamaru hurriedly caught up to his friend, not wanting to lose his favorite meal.

Gishou sighed as he watched his friend walk away. 'We're so whipped, all it takes is the threat of loosing our favorite meal and we're at our friend's beck and call. I'm glad Naruto gives me pretty much free reign,' thought the little kitsune.

(0o0o0)

"That's the Yamanaka Flower shop, if you ever need flowers go there, Ino's family has a good selection year round," said Hinata. Team Seven was now leading Akemi and Haku down the main street of Konoha and pointing out the major shops for clothing, food, supplies, and other everyday things.

A familiar scent caught Naruto's nose and he looked up to see Neji walking towards a store that had a picture of a kunai and a shuriken arranged to form a five pointed star on the sign in front of it. "Oi, Neji! What's up?" yelled the blond. Neji turned to grin at his cousin and her team, mentally assessing the two new girls behind them.

"I'm fine Naruto, it is good to see that your team didn't suffer grievous injury on your mission. I was just going to visit a friend and buy some new kunai, but it seems you three have two new friends. Care to introduce me?" asked the Hyuga genius.

"Akemi, Haku, this is my cousin Neji. He is the previous year's number one rookie and the Hyuga Genius. He personally trained me in our clan techniques and even fought a Jounin level kidnapper to save me nine years ago at the risk of his own life," said Hinata with a smile.

Neji bowed to both girls saying, "Any friend of Hinata-san and Naruto's is a friend of mine."

As Akemi and Haku returned the bow, Akemi grinned and said, "I have had the chance to spar with Hinata-chan; if you were her teacher then I congratulate you. She gave me a good fight and would have won if I wasn't a kitsune when she sealed my Tenketsu." Neji raised one eyebrow and grinned as Hinata's face turned into a tomato.

"Looks like you've been practicing and improved your speed, Hinata-san. I look forward to our next sparing match," said Neji.

"Ano, Neji-ni-san, I heard you mention that your team mate Rock Lee has a way of training to increase his stamina and speed quickly and I was wondering if it would work for me," said Hinata. Both of Neji's eyebrows shot up wards and he shuddered briefly.

"Sorry, I just had an image of you with fuzzy eyebrows and the green spandex body suit Lee wears. I think I can help you, in fact this store has just what you need," said Neji. He glared briefly at Naruto, whose face had flushed slightly at the mention of green spandex on Hinata, and led the group into the store.

A bell above the door rang as the group entered the store, but the sole person manning the shop, a girl with long black hair, was too absorbed in their book to notice. Looking around the shop, everyone could see that the shop was devoted to shinobi gear. Fuuma Shuriken, kunai, ANBU swords, katana, and jutsu scrolls lined the walls. Naruto's gaze fastened on the girl behind the counter and he immediately thought of Shikamaru. The girl was slumped halfway over the counter and her expression was so stoic that Naruto wondered if she could even smile. The Hitai-ate around her neck showed she was a shinobi, while the short sleeve black undershirt with a long sleeved fishnet covering allowed easy movement for her arms. A coat resembling Hinata's without the fur lining around the neck and sleeves combined with her pale skin made Naruto think the girl was related to Hinata, but the brown almond shaped eyes that were scanning her book showed she wasn't a Hyuga. Even as Neji reached the counter the girl didn't look up from her book, making most of the group think she was deaf.

After several minutes of waiting for the girl to look up, Naruto finally snapped and yelled, "EXCUSE ME?" startling his friends and the girl. The girl jumped up, knocking the stool she had been sitting on over, and causing her to slip and land on her butt.

"Ite (ouch)," mumbled the girl as she started to stand up, her face slightly flushed from embarrassment. The girl dusted herself off before setting her stool upright and finally turning to face her customers. "Gomen, sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I ignore everything around me. Now, how can I… Oh, Neji-kun, I haven't seen you in a while!" said the girl, blushing slightly as she noticed Neji.

"Hi Aki, I was wondering if you could fit my cousin Hinata for some weights like Lee uses. Your family makes the best weights in the village and Hinata-san deserves the best!" said Neji with a grin, not noticing the girl's blush. Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Haku, and Akemi however did, and Team Seven was silently laughing at how an all seeing Hyuga could be so blind to something right in front of them.

"Of course, please come this way Hinata-san," said Aki as she led Hinata to a shelf with a sign saying WEIGHTS on the top. "One of our latest models is the new wrist bracer version. Slim and compact, it doubles as an arm guard and can block physical blows and deflect projectiles. We offer a similar style of weights for your legs."

Hinata looked over the different weights and tried several on to figure out her size and how much she could handle. The Hyuga girl finally settled on a set of dark blue bracers that went well with her hair while the leg weights were black. "These weights are designed to absorb a small amount of your chakra to become heavier as you get used to them over time. Keep them on at all times and you'll be surprised by the results," said Aki. Reaching over, the black haired girl showed Hinata the only marking on the otherwise uniformly blue arm bracers. "If you ever have to remove the weights, press this marking and they'll open up and fall off. I advise asking Neji-san's team mate Tenten about making a summoning scroll for these so that if you have to remove them in a deep river or someplace you can't find them that you can summon them back to you." Hinata nodded, she had seen Tenten summon a storm of kunai from scrolls several times when the bun haired girl and Lee came to practice in the family dojo with Neji on rainy days.

"Thank you Aki-san, I'll be sure to do that," said Hinata with a bow.

Aki shrugged, the expression on her face never once changing this whole time from the stoic look she had when the group entered the shop. "Now, what can I get for the rest of you?" she asked as she leaned against the counter.

"What's this thing?" asked Akemi as she held up what looked like a thick arm guard with a kunai resting in a groove.

"That's a cable kunai launcher. It fires a kunai with a cable attached to it for use as a grappling hook or a long range weapon. You can then retract the cable to pull your target towards you or pull yourself upwards if you're using it as a grappling hook."

Akemi's face was covered in a very big fox grin and Haku groaned as the kitsune turned giant puppy dog eyes on her, knowing perfectly well what Akemi was going to say. "Yes, you can buy it, but if you use it to tie me up I'm taking it away!" growled Haku as she mentally cursed the inventor of the 'Puppy eye no jutsu'. Akemi gleefully set the device on the counter along with several spare cable kunai incase the cable broke. Akemi had discovered early on that she had a gift for manipulating string, chains, and rope into doing what she wanted, which made the kusari-gama an excellent weapon for her. Haku bought several packs of Senbon, slipping the needles into concealed pockets of her battle kimono. Naruto was debating the properties of some shuriken designs with Neji while Sasuke occasionally offered a point.

Aki glanced up as the bell above the door rang and stared in surprise as Ken walked through the door and stopped in surprise at the sight of everyone in the shop. "Well, this makes my job easier. Haku, Akemi, I have some good news for you. It turns out that Aki's two teammates are going to be in the hospital for a few months so you two will be taking their places on her team. Aki, I've already talked to your sensei and she's given her permission for the change and wants you to meet at the bridge with Team Seven tomorrow. Your two teams will be training together. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, you can train with them until Kakashi arrives if he is late," said the Hokage. Everyone nodded, Haku and Akemi surprised that they would suddenly be placed on a team like this. Ken walked out the door with a wave to the kids and headed back to his office for an lunch meeting with Kyuubi that quickly turned into a cuddle session and a small sign being placed on Ken's office door saying 'DO NOT DISTURB' (AN: No naughty stuff, just Ken holding Kyuubi in his arms and whispering romantic things in her ears).

(0o0o0)

Back in the shop, Aki surveyed her two new team mates. "So what do the two of you specialize in?" she asked.

"I'm a medic nin and my bloodline gives me the ability to control water and ice. My water dragon blood allows me to create water for my jutsu easily, something only high level shinobi can do," said Haku.

Akemi idly pulled out her kusari-gama and started making the chain dance around. "I'm a kitsune, so I have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, I can use foxfire, and I have the ability to manipulate chains, ropes, strings etc, with my chakra."

Aki started ringing up the total for each person as she said, "My family specializes in shadow jutsu like Kage Bushin, Shuriken Kage Bushin, Kage Shuriken, plus our special family jutsu:Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) no Jutsu, and Kage Hokou (Shadow Walk) no Jutsu. The Tamahashi clan is distantly related to the Nara clan, but where they specialize in assassination jutsu we use some more practical shadow jutsu and offensive jutsu. I'll show you guys those special jutsu tomorrow." Everyone grabbed their purchases and filed out the door, Neji failing once again to catch the flush on Aki's face as their hands brushed while she handed him his change for the kunai set he bought.

(0o0o0)

"Looks like someone has a crush on your cousin," whispered Haku to Hinata as they walked out of the store behind the boys. Sasuke and Naruto were describing their fights on the mission to Neji in great detail. Hinata giggled and nodded, she knew quite well what the signs of a crush were from growing up with Naruto and watching Hanabi gaze at Konohamaru lovingly.

"People call Neji-ni-san a genius, but even a genius can be blind to what's right in front of them," said Hinata. Akemi giggled, she could easily smell the attraction Aki had for Neji and was already thinking of ways she could get them together.

Neji shuddered briefly. "You okay?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, I just had a bad feeling, like someone was plotting against me," said Neji.

Hinata turned around as she heard a voice call her name and grinned as she saw Neji's team mate Tenten jogging towards her. "Hi Hinata, I was just heading to the mall and I wanted to know if you wanted to come?" asked the weapons mistress.

"Sure, if Haku and Akemi can come with," said Hinata, pointing to each of the new girls as she said her name so Tenten knew which one was which.

Tenten shrugged, saying, "I don't care, the more the merrier! Now, we'll need some help carrying our purchases…" all four girls looked up to see three dust clouds in place of the boys and a scroll on the ground with a note saying, WILL SUMMON ONE LARGE KITSUNE TO HELP CARRY STUFF. All four girls sighed at the hopelessness of boys. "Cowards, they didn't even give us a chance to ask," sighed Tenten.

"I can't blame Sasuke and Naruto-kun, we just got back today and they probably want to take it easy. As for Neji-ni-san, I think they grabbed him and took off before he even had a chance to protest," said Hinata.

(0o0o0)

"That was close," said Naruto as he rested his hands on he knees and panted, looking a lot like a fox with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Yeah, you know that Haku and Akemi are going to need a lot of clothes," said Sasuke as he leaned against the wall of the building Naruto had dragged him and Neji to at high speed.

"I'm still recovering from my last shopping trip as Tenten's pack mule. She took forever to decide what to buy and made me carry so many bags that I would have been blind without my Byakugan," groaned Neji. All three boys shuddered at their narrow escape and headed to training ground three to hide from the girls. When the day drew to a close, the boys walked home, Naruto carrying Gishou on his head. As the boys reached the entrance to the Hyuga grounds, Neji waved goodbye to his friends and entered the gate to the mansion, leaving Naruto and Sasuke to walk to the Uzumaki house. As Naruto opened the gate, a sphere of water appeared above both boys and dropped onto their heads. Naruto and Sasuke both yelped and fell on their butts from the shock of ice cold water hitting them. A pair of giggles alerted the two boys to the fact that this wasn't a freak shower and they looked up to see Haku and Akemi rolling on the ground laughing.

The boys were quick to notice the girls were each wearing new outfits. Haku's was a dark blue top with a wide white cloth belt around the waist and a long piece of blue material hanging from the belt and covering a pair of grey cargo pants. (Think Kasumi from DOA's standard blue outfit with a pair of cargo pants underneath). Akemi was now dressed in a light green tunic with brown trim over a pair of short shorts of the same pattern with a belt similar to Haku's holding the tunic together. A pair of wrist guards similar to Sasuke's now covered her arms, one of which held the cable kunai launcher unit. (Basically Misao from Rurouni Kenshin's shinobi outfit) Both girls wore the usual zori on their feet and shinobi supply pouch on their belts. Akemi had a kunai and shuriken holster strapped to her leg with bandages while the other leg was bare. Haku carried no shuriken, though a single holster on each side of her waist showed she had a kunai for each hand and likely had senbon secreted about her person.

"Oh man, the looks on your faces!" gasped Akemi. Haku was trying to get her laughter under control, but one look at Gishou's face had her collapsing in a fit of laughter again. A chuckle behind the boys alerted them to the fact that their parents were behind them and had seen everything.

"Well, looks like you boys don't have to take a shower tonight," said Kyuubi with a smile. The two adults led everyone inside, where Haku and Akemi helped Kyuubi prepare a large stir fry dish while Naruto and Sasuke gave Ken a more in-depth account of their fights during the mission. When Akemi stuck her head into the dining room to announce that dinner was ready, three blurs shot past her and she turned to find all three of the males of the house seated at their places. Akemi blinked at the speed all three exhibited and shrugged before helping Haku and Kyuubi set the serving dishes on the table.

(0o0o0)

Later that night, Haku was reading a book when the door of her room creaked open and a timid "Ne-chan?" told her Akemi was at the door. The dragon hanyou girl set her book down and patted the bed beside her. Akemi ran up and sat beside Haku before wrapping her arms around her older sister.

"What's wrong imouto-chan (little sister)?" asked Haku, though she had a good guess of what it was.

"I'm just glad we found a place where we're accepted. We've been alone with Zabuza-san for so long that I'm scared we'll be leaving soon," whispered Akemi.

A light chuckle from the doorway caught both girls' attention and they looked up to see Naruto smiling at them. "Don't worry, you two are like family already and we don't leave family behind when they're in trouble. Think about it Haku, why did I leap into your mirrors to help Sasuke instead of attacking you from the outside? I knew he needed my help right then and the two of us would have a chance of catching you," said the fox boy. Haku nodded, she had seen the bond the two shared and knew each one would go through Hell and back to save the other. Naruto smiled and ruffled Akemi's hair as he said, "If you need to talk, my door is unlocked and I'm willing to lend an ear." Both of the furry blond triangles mentioned wiggled, causing Akemi to giggle and a relieved smile to break out on Haku's face. "Now get back to bed, I'll come and tuck you in after a minute," said Naruto with a smile. Akemi nodded and slipped out of the room, leaving Haku alone with Naruto.

Haku sighed and rubbed her head as Naruto leaned against the wall. "It isn't easy being the older sibling, is it?" he asked. As Haku nodded, Naruto patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Hinata always has that same look when Hanabi does something particularly embarrassing or stressful. Take a rest and I'll make sure she gets to sleep," said the blond. Haku yawned and nodded, lying down and pulling the covers over herself.

Naruto quietly crept out of Haku's room and shut the door, moving towards Akemi's. The blond smiled as he peaked in the door to find his mother tucking Akemi in and kissing her forehead. "Everything okay?" he whispered.

Kyuubi turned and nodded, while Akemi opened one eye lazily and said, "Good night Naruto-ni-chan."

Naruto smiled and said, "Good night Imouto-chan!" Akemi giggled and snuggled up to her pillow as Naruto and Kyuubi slipped out of the room.

"Good night son, thanks for handling Haku for me," said Kyuubi as she kissed Naruto goodnight. Naruto nodded and yawned as he slipped into his own bed, only pausing to let Gishou curl up on top of his covers and yip good night before sleep claimed him.

(0o0o0)

The next morning was a bit different than normal. Sasuke accidentally walked in on Haku, who had gotten up early to take a hot shower, in the bathroom and got an eyeful. The dragon girl had screamed "HENTAI!" and sent a wave of water at the Uchiha boy. Sasuke hit the wall outside the bathroom door and shivered from the ice cold water. Naruto and Akemi poked their heads out from their room and stared in shock at Sasuke.

"Didn't notice the occupied sign, eh Sasuke?" asked Naruto with a yawn. Indeed, a small sign had been placed on the door with the word OCCUPIED in big bold letters on it. Sasuke pushed his wet bangs out of his eyes and had the grace to blush, glad Haku hadn't frozen him in a block of ice. Said girl opened the bathroom door and stormed down the hall to her room with only a large towel to cover her modesty. The look she shot Sasuke would have killed him if looks could kill. Sasuke sheepishly ran into the bathroom for a quick shower, aware that Naruto and Akemi still had to have theirs.

By the time everyone had reached the table, Haku's wrath had diminished enough that Sasuke didn't feel killing intent radiating from her, allowing him to eat his breakfast without fear of poison. After everyone had finished, the four genin and one pet fox ran out the door, meeting up with Hinata as she exited the Hyuga compound, and ran to the bridge where team seven met. There they found Aki already waiting with her nose buried in the same book she had been reading the previous day, which they could now see was The Phantom of the Opera. Aki glanced up from her book long enough to nod a greeting then refocused her attention on her book. Seeing how Aki didn't have anything to say, Haku and Akemi idly stared around at the view from the bridge while Naruto and Sasuke tried to figure out what lame excuse Kakashi would use this time.

A sudden twitching of Naruto's ears and nose was the only clue Sasuke received that someone was nearby before the blond sent a fox fire blast into a nearby tree. A blur shot out of the tree before the attack hit and landed on the upper post of the bridge. Everyone had only a second to see a brown haired female Jounin with brown eyes and a purple rectangle mark on each cheek before Naruto yelled, "Rin-san!" and somehow managed to scramble on top of the bridge in less than a second and tackle the Jounin in a hug. Naruto's tails were waving like crazy while he purred from happiness.

The Jounin laughed, a sound that could chase the gloom away from any dark room, and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Been awhile Naru-chan! I haven't seen you since I became a Jounin and took on a genin team five years ago. Now where is your sensei and my old team mate?" exclaimed the woman before she hopped down to join the rest of the genin with Naruto still clinging to her koala style. Now everyone could see she was dressed in the standard Jounin gear, the only difference was the bokken tucked into her belt.

"Kakashi-sensei is always late, we've had to sometimes get lunch before he shows up!" said Naruto. Rin stared at Naruto for a second and sighed as she pried him off her leg.

"Okay, we'll do the team intro then I'll go get Kakashi so we can get both teams up to speed," said Rin. "I'll go first. My name is Kiyouindo (Pure Wind) Rin. I like medical jutsu, the time I spent as Ken-sensei's student, and helping people. I dislike Iwa shinobi, loosing my comrades, and perverts that don't take a clue to not act perverted in my presence. My dream is to become a great medic-nin like Tsunade-sama and Kyuubi-sama. My hobbies are singing and sword dancing. Also, like Naruto I'm a hanyou, a wind hanyou to be exact, so I don't have any animal ears or limbs. Now Aki, you go," said the Jounin.

Aki marked her place before tearing her attention from her book and saying "I'm Tamahashi Aki. I like to paint, read, and learn new jutsu. I dislike annoying people, perverts, and people who think they know everything when they don't. My dream is to be accepted into society like a normal person and become a powerful and respected shinobi. My hobbies are tinkering in my family's shop to make new weapons and reading."

"Black hair, you're next," said Rin.

Haku sighed and said, "My name is Himizu (Ice water) Haku. I like medicinal herbs, water, experimenting with my bloodline, and rabbits. I dislike seeing my precious people hurt, being viewed as an inferior because I'm a hanyou, and being teased. My dreams for the future is to be a medic nin and leave in peace with my sister Akemi. My hobbies are picking medicinal herbs and using my bloodline to create ice sculptures."

"Now you, foxy," said Rin with a smile at Akemi, who was eagerly bouncing up and down with impatience.

"My name is Uzumaki Akemi, I like my adopted family, being able to see other kitsune, and using foxfire. I dislike seeing children mistreated and people that assume all youkai are evil. My dreams for the future are to become a nine tailed kitsune and become as respected as Kyuubi-oka-san. My hobbies are sparing with Haku-ne-san, playing pranks on people that deserve them, and practicing my kitsune skills," said Akemi.

"Ano, Naruto-kun, how do you know Rin-sensei?" asked Hinata.

"Same reason I know most of the Jounin. They all had to baby sit me when I was younger and they were Chunin. Rin was one of my favorite sitters, mainly because she could cook, unlike Kakashi-no-hentai," replied Naruto.

Rin smiled and glanced at her wrist watch and sighed. "Okay, I want all six of you to spar together while I go get my lazy team mate. Be back in a few minutes!" said the Jounin.

"Hai!" yelled all the genin, immediately breaking into groups to spar. Sasuke paired up with Aki, Naruto with Akemi, and Haku with Hinata. Satisfied that they were going to be fine without her, Rin poofed into Kakashi's apartment. Her eyes were greeted by stacks of dirty magazines, the entire Icha Icha Paradise set so far on a bookshelf devoted to the series, and a shrine to Jiraiya, whose picture bore a lecherous grin. Rin walked into her former team mate's room and grinned at the sight of Kakashi sleeping with his mask on. Kakashi's beloved potted plant, Mr. Ukki, sat on the windowsill by Kakashi's head with two pictures. One was of Team Seven and showed Kakashi grinning while he ruffled Naruto and Sasuke's hair with Hinata smiling in between the boys. Next to it was a picture that brought a pang of sadness to Rin. The picture was of her old genin team. Ken was ruffling the hair of Kakashi and Obito while she held up both her hands in a victory symbol. 'Obito, I know your spirit is watching over us and Konoha, but we still miss you,' thought Rin before she formed several hands seals and thought 'Suiton: Mizu-gan (Water gun) no Jutsu!' A stream of water shot out from between Rin's hand to hit Kakashi in the head.

A loud scream was heard through out Konoha that morning as Hatake Kakashi was awoken from his dream of living the story of his favorite book series. Then the equally loud voice of Rin echoed throughout the village as eh woman yelled, "You lazy bum, you've been keeping us waiting! You're lucky I don't drag you down there and strip off your mask for everyone to see what's under it!"

(0o0o0)

Half an hour later, Kakashi was found in the middle of training ground three face down on the ground while Rin held his arm behind him and kept her foot on his back. "Now, promise that you won't be late next time," said Rin nicely as she twisted the arm she held behind Kakashi's back. The only answer she got was a whimper of pain and yells from Naruto make Kakashi swear to never be late again.

Rin finally managed to get Kakashi to promise to not be late again, but by that time it was to late to continue training. "All right everyone, be here at eight o'clock tomorrow. We're going to have a team vs team exercise. See you all tomorrow!" exclaimed Rin before she disappeared with Kakashi in a puff of smoke. Before Aki and Hinata could leave the group, a seven tailed fox ran up to them with a scroll in its mouth that it spat into Naruto's lap before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto opened the scroll and read through its contents quickly before looking up with a grin. "It says that Aki and Hinata-chan are invited to dinner with us tonight. Rin-sensei and Kakashi-sensei will be there also," said the blond. Aki's face retained her usual stoic expression, a single raised eyebrow the only sign that she was slightly surprised.

(0o0o0)

"Kyuubi-sama, this looks incredible," said Aki as she stared at the delicious spread Kyuubi and Rin had whipped up for dinner. Sukiyaki, yakitori, and pork cutlets sent heavenly aromas into the air and had Naruto and Akemi salivating with hunger.

Just after everyone said "Itadakimasu!" a flash of light from Rin's seat caught everyone by surprise. Rin grinned and held up a camera that was just spitting out a photo showing Kakashi with his mask down, wide deer-in-the-headlights eyes, giant chipmunk cheeks, and food hanging out of his exposed mouth. Surprisingly, Kakashi's face was completely normal, no scars or giant fish lips like Naruto had thought. Kakashi chased after Rin trying to get the camera and picture, but the female Jounin kept avoiding all his attempts to get them.

Ken sighed and tripped Kakashi to stop the mad chase. "Kakashi, give it up. At least Naruto didn't get you and force me to send you on solo D-rank missions for letting a Genin sneak up on you and get a picture of your face," said the Hokage. Kakashi sighed and sat down and ate at a normal pace while leaving his mask down.

"So why does he wear the mask if it isn't hiding anything?" asked Naruto.

Rin smirked and said, "Because he knows it makes him look mysterious and hides the nosebleeds he gets when he reads his Hentai book!" One of Kyuubi's tails suddenly reached around the table and smacked Kakashi with a rolled up magazine.

When Kakashi made a 'what did I do?' face, Kyuubi grimaced and said, "I figured you needed a reminder that I have eyes everywhere and I saw you reading that book when you should have been supervising your team in the tree climbing exercise!"

Kakashi's visible eye widened before Rin yelled, "Kakashi-no-hentai!" and slammed her bokken down on his head. Kakashi was out for the rest of the night and whenever he stirred Rin reintroduced him to Bokken-sama.

(0o0o0)

"Thank you for inviting me Kyuubi-sama, Hokage-sama!" said Aki as she bowed before preparing to head home.

"Hold up Aki, I'll walk you and Hinata-chan home!" said Naruto as he slipped on his zori and handed Hinata hers. The three walked the short trip to the Hyuga manor, where Neji answered the door.

Aki immediately blushed upon seeing the Hyuga genius. "Konbanwa (Good evening), Neji-kun!" said Akemi as she found the ground by his feet very interesting.

"Konbanwa, Aki-chan, Naruto-kun. Arigato for bringing Hinata-san home!" said Neji with a smile. Aki felt like she could melt upon looking up and seeing that smile and barely managed to keep her face devoid of all emotion.

"No problem Neji! See you tomorrow Hinata-chan!" said Naruto before leaning forward to kiss Hinata on the cheek. Hinata's face instantly resembled a tomato and Neji snickered before gasping in surprise as Hinata grabbed Naruto and pulled him down for a more passionate kiss on the lips. Now Naruto's face was so red that no one could see the single drop of blood that appeared at the base of his nose.

"Oyasumi (Good night) Naruto-kun!" said Hinata with a smile.

"Oya…Oyasumi Hinata-chan!" gasped Naruto, causing Aki to giggle and Neji to blink in surprise as his heart beat rapidly for a second at the sound.

(0o0o0)

Naruto followed Aki to her house, ears twitching at every movement he heard and nose straining to pick out the scents of his surroundings. There wasn't much crime in Konoha thanks to the ANBU, but a drunken shinobi could always make the mistake of seeing an enemy in the shadows and use a jutsu on an innocent bystander or worse. Sasuke had one time gone to offer his respects to his dead relatives in the abandoned Uchiha sector of town and lost track of time, heading home late in the day. A drunk had made the mistake of thinking Sasuke was a girl because of his long hair and tried to drag him into an alley for some 'fun' only to get bent into a human pretzel by the boy. Some punks had also accosted Hinata for some cash on her way home from some late night training a year ago and trapped her in an alley, only to find their advance cut off by an enraged Naruto and Neji who proceeded to teach the drunks a new definition of pain and suffering. The two boys had been looking for Hinata and when Naruto picked up her scent mixed with fear he had practically torn through walls in his rush to protect his girl friend.

Naruto glanced up as Aki's footsteps stopped and found they were back in front of Aki's family's shop. Aki led Naruto up a staircase in the alley beside the shop to a large apartment above the shop. Aki knocked on the door, which was opened by an older looking version of Aki that Naruto guessed was her mother. "You're back, I hope you were polite?" asked the woman. Naruto fought hard to not growl at Aki's mother, Aki had been very well behaved and from what he had seen of her she always was.

"Hai Oka-san," said Aki.

"Arigato for allowing Aki-chan to come to dinner with my family Tamahashi-san," said Naruto with a bow. Aki's mother returned the bow and ushered her daughter inside before closing the door. Naruto frowned for a minute before shrugging and dashing back home, passing a few ANBU on the way. After brushing his teeth, Naruto climbed into his bed and dreamed of eating ramen with Hinata. Meanwhile, Sasuke was tossing and turning as he tried to keep from dreaming stuff that was worthy of Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise about Haku.


	8. Tail 7: Chunin Exam Start

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, one of the most exciting parts of the story is here, the Chunin Exam! There will soon be lots of fights and plenty of action, the preliminary round alone will take at least one chapter, most likely two. All battles for the preliminary and final round have been determined by me already, so I'm sorry if you don't get to see a particular fight you want. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews, give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

**Also, put me on your author alert list since my update timing can be sporadic due to college work. I try to update early Saturday to late Sunday, but things don't always work out like I plan.**

_Review Responses:_

_Crimson-Strike: I'm honored that you think so highly of my work. Yes, Haku could easily take down Sakura and Ino, you'll see them interacting soon._

_Gold-case: Okay, the parings I have planned are NaruHina, AkiNeji, SasuHaku, AkemiKiba. I totally agree about Naruto being on Toonami is a very bad thing._

_Tombadgerlock: yeah, the last chapter was slow, but the action speeds up in this one._

_Ranma Hibiki: I don't know if Rin is alive or dead in the original story, but she's alive in this one! Unlike Rin from Inuyasha, this Rin will beat any and all perverts that act perverted in front of her. That means Jiraiya is next on her list._

_Dragon and Sword Master: What can I say, the Uzumaki family will take in all kind of people. Sakura appears in this chapter, but she's a minor character at best, though she'll be stronger than she was in the manga._

_Story Weaver1: Bokken-sama is inspired by the story Naruto's Mom. I'm glad you liked the Shino Kiba interaction, I think anyone who spends time with Shino could learn to figure out what he is 'saying'_

_theDragonBard: Naruto and Akemi can transform themselves without using Henge, but they aren't into Genjutsu. They prefer to use their physical skills like foxfire to even the odds and keep their enemy moving. Naruto won't be summoning toads, he already has a summoning contract. Naruto can use foxfire to mimic his dad's Rasengan, but he'll learn the real thing._

_God in a Box: I had no idea I put that much impact into Aki's mother's speech. You aren't supposed to like her, but xAkix has final say over what happens to her. Kakashi doesn't know he should be worried, he wasn't there to hear the intros. Of course, he knows Rin hates seeing him act perverted._

_TimeShifter: I know, I hate people who seem to change the pairings they've set up halfway through the story. Hinata is more outgoing and not timid like in the manga because she's known Naruto for so long and feel comfortable around him._

_Joecool4: No, I have other plans for Akemi. The foursome would drive Sasuke crazy, besides, Haku is the first girl to respect his personal space and still show an interest in him. She doesn't get all clingy and takes being a shinobi seriously._

_The Gandhara: In response to the 'Future Mate' thing, it's only because Naruto and Hinata are deeply in love with each other and want to get married when they are old enough. The title is basically so all kitsune know to protect Hinata if they encounter her for Naruto's sake. About the hanyou, there are only three so far. Rin doesn't get much help for her wind youkai heritage except sharper hearing and some fancy sword moves. There have been four hanyou in Inuyasha so far, but I don't plan to have any more hanyou appear. The trip back to Konoha took at least a week, giving Team 7 time to get to know Akemi and Haku better. Kyuubi is also the head kitsune, so Akemi will be completely loyal to her, and Haku because she is Akemi's older sister and wants her to be happy._

_Salsar Thiran: Glad you like the pairing, I'll be working with it more now._

_xAkix: I'm no stalker, but you've said you liked Neji enough times for me to figure you have posters of him in you room and a Neji plushie on your bed._

_Mrasdfghj: A little Sakura bashing this chapter, not much but I hope it's enough for you._

_Scorpio V1.2: Let me put it this way: Each time Naruto's kitsune blood gets a bit of control it becomes stronger, speeding up the growth of his tails. Compared to Naruto's enormous growth rate in the manga, I think I'm keeping pace. Then there is the fact that Kyuubi's kitsune blood is extremely powerful and when combined with the power of a Hokage gives Naruto a huge power boost._

_Patch5129: I'm not sure about Tenten, more Haku/Sasuke stuff this chapter. I have a specific plan for Sasuke regarding Orochimaru, the only hint you get is Gollum/Smeagol._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

Within a few days, Team Seven and Team Kunoichi (Because all four members were kunoichi) had fallen into a comfortable routine. The morning was spent with Rin training both teams in fighting as a team, then Kakashi and Rin would train each Genin individually in jutsu and their individual strengths. Hinata's speed and stamina showed a definite increase thanks to her weights, while Akemi quickly mastered her cable kunai launcher and could use it to tie up an enemy in less than five seconds.

Both teams also worked on missions together. Working together, both teams cleaned out a bandit camp, negotiated a peace treaty between a pack of wolf youkai and a nearby village, and guarded several trade caravans from Wave Country to Konoha. It was after one such mission that both teams were walking home from, that Rin and Kakashi both noticed a hawk flying above them. "Well, that's all for today. We have to go submit the mission report," said Kakashi, forcing himself to keep from reaching for his book because Rin had her hand on her bokken ready to smack him with it. Both Jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke and left their Genin teams to amuse themselves. At that moment, Sakura happened to walk by and saw Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! Want to go get lunch with me?" exclaimed the pink haired girl as she ran towards the raven haired boy in preparation for a glomp attack.

Sasuke's face paled and he rapidly scouted the area for escape routes. Finding none, Sasuke made a snap decision. "Sorry, but I already promised Haku-chan I'd have lunch with her after we were done with missions for the day," he said as he grabbed Haku's arm and whispered, "Play along!" to her.

Haku smiled and leaned against Sasuke as she said, "And here I thought you forgot after those merchant girls were flirting with you!"

Sasuke smiled and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Haku's face as he asked, "How could such bland and boring girls compare to you, my gorgeous dragoness?" Naruto and Hinata were having a hard time keeping a serious face as Sakura's expression got gloomier and gloomier with Sasuke's next comment. "Of course, how could I not be impressed with your skills and talent?" Naruto could practically see the imaginary weights crushing Sakura, then Akemi dropped the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Don't forget you have a date tomorrow!" said Akemi with a grin. That was it, Sakura staggered off to tell Ino Sasuke was taken and they both lost.

Haku glanced at Sasuke and asked, "Do you still want to go get lunch together?" with a blush on her cheeks. Sasuke shrugged, ignoring the fact that his heart sped up when Haku blushed and she looked really cute just then. The two wandered off, leaving Naruto with his jaw in the ground.

"Wow, and I thought I was the number one unpredictable ninja of Konoha!" said Naruto after he regained control of his mouth.

Hinata giggled and said, "Come on Naruto-kun, there's a bowl of ramen with our name on it at Ichiraku!"

Naruto grinned and looked at Aki and Akemi. "Will the two of you be joining us?" he asked.

"No, Kiba invited me to the barbeque joint and Aki's coming with," said Akemi.

'Mental note: Threaten Kiba with castration if he hurts Akemi or makes her cry,' thought Naruto as he entered protective big brother mode.

"Now Naruto-kun, don't waist time! I'm hungry and I want to cuddle!" whined Hinata. The blond shinobi followed his girlfriend to Ichiraku while listening to Gishou's taunts of being whipped. The two tailed kitsune was speaking in his natural language, so Hinata had no idea why Naruto kept growling.

When the couple reached the ramen stand, Teuchi grinned upon seeing his two favorite customers. "One Lovers' Special coming right up!" said the old man as he immediately started preparing the special dish he'd invented when Naruto and Hinata couldn't decide what to order. The Lovers' Special was basically a blending of all the different flavors on hand with the broth flavoring being a careful mix of each so it contained elements of beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, and whatever else Teuchi threw in. The dish was served in an extra large bowl that Naruto and Hinata shared, each one feeding the other bites of ramen. As always when they were sharing this dish, Naruto had all seven of his tails wrapped around Hinata. Ayame giggled as she watched both of the Genin gaze into each other's eyes as they ate, never breaking eye contact. Gishou was enjoying some leftover bits of chicken, beef, and pork Teuchi put in a bowl for him.

(0o0o0)

"Ah, that ramen was good, but not as good as gazing into your eyes of pearl Hinata-chan," said Naruto as he leaned over the empty bowl to kiss Hinata on the lips. Hinata giggled, most girls would feel insulted to be compared to ramen but Hinata knew how much Naruto enjoyed his ramen, even more so when he shared it with him. The two lovebirds split the cost of their meal and left the shop as Gishou jumped into the hood of Hinata's jacket for a nap. As the couple walked along, Naruto caught three distinctive scents that promised lots of fun. Using a window, Naruto caught sight of a poor attempt at a rock disguise that was following them. A nudge from a tail and Hinata activated her Byakugan and peered at the box with her three hundred sixty degree vision before deactivating her blood limit and smiling. The two Genin turned a corner and stoped, pretending to look in the window of a bakery. Naruto waited until the fake rock was close enough before he said, "I need to sit down for a few minutes Hinata-chan! You go ahead and get some treats for us!" Hinata nodded and went into the bakery while Naruto walked over to the fake rock and stretched before sitting down on it.

Immediately, three grunts came from under the box and Naruto started chuckling as he stood up. "Allright Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi, come on out! Do you honestly expect that disguise to fool anyone? No rock has perfect angles or eye holes!" exclaimed Naruto as he glared at the fake rock. The rock was lifted up to reveal Konohamaru and two of his friends. All three were wearing goggles like Naruto used to wear, which caused Naruto to grin. "So, what do you kids want?" he asked.

"Can you and Hinata-ne-san play ninja with us?" asked Moegi as she used the dreaded Puppy Eye no Jutsu.

'Must resist overwhelming cuteness! Think other thoughts, Rin-sensei bashing Kakashi-no-Hentai with Bokken-sama, Sasuke walking in on Haku naked, old man Sarutobi in boxers…eww! BAD MENTAL IMAGE!' thought Naruto. "I don't know, I wanted to spend the afternoon with Hinata-chan," he said. Hinata exited the shop just then with two bags in her hands. She passed one of the bags to the three academy students, who opened it to find three large double fudge frosted brownies, and opened the remaining one to reveal two éclairs. All five of the friends sat down on a bench to enjoy their snack, though Naruto pulled Hinata onto his lap to give everyone more room.

"How about we do a game to test your evasion skills," said Hinata. "You three will run and Naruto-kun and I will try to tag you." Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi agreed and got a minute head start. The three younger kids took off running, weaving through the not so crowded street easily. Naruto and Hinata grinned at one another and jumped to the roof tops of the stores and pursued their quarry throughout the village. They were having such a good time that they didn't notice Konohamaru wasn't looking in front of himself and he hit Sakura.

"Watch it!" growled Sakura before she bonked Konohamaru on the head. Naruto and Hinata jumped down to make sure he was okay since Sakura seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Itai, that hurt! That huge ugly forehead, was that really a girl? Hanabi-chan has a bigger chest than her!" exclaimed Konohamaru. Sakura, who had been walking away in a huff, slowly turned around before charging after a screaming Konohamaru and his friends. Naruto and Hinata joined them, knowing they had to keep Sakura from killing Konohamaru. Unfortuneatly, Konohamaru once again collided with someone else.

"Itai!" gasped Konohamaru as he rubbed his abused forehead before looking up at the person he had hit.

A boy in a black body suit with a weird hood and something wrapped in bandages on his back stood next to a girl with her blond hair in four pig tails dressed in a tight body suit with a large metal thing strapped to her back glared down at Konohamaru. "That hurts," growled the black suited boy before he grabbed Konohamaru scarf and lifted him into the air "You little piece of shit! No one hits me and gets away with it!" he growled.

Sakura nervously stepped forward and said, "Gomen, it was my fault, we were just playing around." While she tried to figure out who these two shinobi were.

"Knock it off, you'll get us in trouble," said the pig tailed girl, though her tone of voice showed she didn't really care.

Naruto's senses were working overtime to analyze these two strangers. 'Hmm, those are Suna Hitai-ate, while that thing on his back smells of grease, wood, and oil. I'm guessing he's one of those puppeteers I've heard dad talk about from Suna and she's a fan user, her weapon smells like paper and metal. Since they don't have any flak jackets, they must be low level shinobi, most likely Genin. Dad's been really busy these last few months, so I'm guessing they're Suna Genin here for the Chunin Exam. I had no idea it was so close, but I'll enjoy watching the finals!' he thought before stepping forward and putting himself between the newcomers and his friends. "I suggest you let him go," said Naruto, his hand moving to his sword's hilt.

'These guys are just Konoha Genin, but why is he wearing that weird suit?' thought the black suited boy. "Hey, I just want to play with him a little while I wait for the boss to come," said the boy before he tightened his fist and caused Konohamaru to gasp in pain.

Both Suna shinobi were surprised when a pale blur darted past Naruto. Hinata charged the two foreign Genin, Byakugan active. The black suited boy growled and twitched his fingers, only to see the chakra string he was trying to use to trip the girl get sliced into pieces by Hinata using Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel). At the same time, Naruto suddenly used the nearby fence to run around behind the two foreign shinobi and jumped behind the blond girl, who spun around to face him and whipped the fan from her back. The air was suddenly much cooler as Haku's mirrors surrounded the girl and a rock shot through the air to hit the boy's wrist, causing him to drop Konohamaru. One of Akemi's cable kunai shot out and lassoed the boy, keeping him from hitting the ground, and jerked him towards Aki, who easily caught him.

"Tell me, what are you guys doing in our village?" asked Sasuke from his perch in a nearby tree as he tossed a few more rocks in preparation for throwing them. Haku stepped out of one of her mirrors and held a senbon to the blond girl's neck, while Hinata's chakra scalpel was at the boy's neck. Aki and Akemi had placed themselves between the foreigners and the little kids, both ready to defend Konoha's youth with their lives.

"Heh, you guys are pretty good. But lets see how you fare against this," said the black suited boy as he grabbed the bandage wrapped thing on his back and swung it around to knock Hinata away from him. "You think you're pretty smart, but I hate showoffs like you guys the most!" Before Haku could react, the blond girl smacked her with her fan and leapt so she was back to back with her companion. Before anyone could make another move, a voice from behind Sasuke startled all of them.

"Temari, Kankuro, stop it." Everyone looked towards Sasuke and saw a red haired boy with a gourd on his back standing upside down on another branch. A tattoo on his head had the kanji for love in red, while dark circles around his eyes pointed towards insomnia. "You're an embarrassment of our village," hissed the boy as he glared at Kankuro.

Kankuro gulped and stammered, "G-Gaara," immediately telling all the Konoha Genin who the one in charge of this group was.

'He snuck up behind me and I didn't even notice him until he spoke. His stealth rivals Kakashi-sensei's!' thought Sasuke.

"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic, why do you think we came to Konoha?" asked Gaara.

"But Gaara, they started it. The little one slammed into me!" said Kankurou.

Gaara's glare level increased as he said, "Shut up or I'll kill you!" Kankuro gulped and everyone could see his body trembling.

"You're right, I was out of line," said Kankuro.

"I'm also sorry, very sorry!" exclaimed Temari.

The red head turned to Sasuke and said, "Sorry to you guys," before disappearing in a swirl of sand and reappearing between his comrades. 'These Genin are skilled. Those two boys seem to be at least Chunin level, but what is this power I sense in the blond one?' thought the red head. "It looks like we got here to early but we didn't come here to play around," he said as he glanced at his male team mate, who mumbled that he knew that.

Naruto sighed as Sakura demanded to know why the foreign shinobi were in their village. "Sheesh, and I thought you were the brainy one. They're here for the Chunin Exam, when all the different countries send their Genin to show their strength. It's held twice each year and this time it is here in Konoha," he said. When Sakura growled and lunged towards Naruto, he side stepped and used a tail to keep her from falling flat on her face. Sasuke appeared beside Sakura and kept his focus on the red head. Hinata walked up beside Naruto and Sasuke, her Byakugan still active.

"Hey, what's your name?" asked Sasuke as he stared at the Suna shinobi. When the girl started to answer, he continued, "Not you, you with the gourd!"

The sand nin glanced at Sasuke and said, "Gaara of the Desert. I'm also interested in the name of you and your team mates."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke for permission and received a nod. Naruto grinned and launched into the Team Seven introduction speech. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha! He's Uchiha Sasuke, the wielder of the mighty Sharingan! Hyuga Hinata, the Hyuga heiress and mistress of the gentle fist!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he heard Naruto's name. He reached into his supply pouch and pulled out a scroll. "Please deliver this to your father Uzumaki Naruto, my father the Kazekage asked me to deliver it to him," he said. The Suna nin tossed the scroll to Naruto, who grabbed it with a tail.

'Something isn't quite right about him, I swear I smell a tanuki (raccoon dog) around here, but I can't see it or get a clear scent. Maybe his clothes are made from tanuki fur?' "I'll give this to my father, don't worry about that," said Naruto. The two groups separated and the Konoha shinobi headed to Ken's office to drop the scroll off. Naruto was told that his father was in a meeting and surrendered the scroll to Ken's secretary. That night, Ken confirmed that the Chunin Exam would begin soon and shared a look with Kyuubi that none of the Genin could interpret.

(0o0o0)

The next day started normally for our favorite Genin teams, only both Rin and Kakashi were late. Since Rin usually dragged Kakashi to the training grounds on time, this was cause to worry for the Genin. When two clouds of smoke appeared on top of the bridge all six Genin took a deep breath as Kakashi said, "Ohayou gozaimasu mina (Good Morning everyone)! Today I got lost on the road of life and it took Rin a while to track me down!"

Six Genin and one Jounin yelled, "LIAR!" blasting Kakashi off his perch on top of the bridge and onto the ground back first.

Rin glared at Kakashi and rubbed her forehead before saying, "Seriously, we were in a meeting. It has been decided that this year the rookie teams will be allowed to participate in the Chunin Exam." Rin reached into her jacket and produced six forms. "Here are your applications," here Rin was mobbed by all the Genin and found her hands empty in less than a second and then buried beneath a dog pile of Genin glomping her.

Seeing that Rin was occupied and slightly disappointed he didn't get any hugs, Kakashi continued where Rin left off. "These are just nominations, whether to take the exam is up to each of you. Those who wish to take it should sign those papers and turn them in at room 301 by four PM tomorrow. That's all," said Kakashi before he attempted to slip off to read his porn, only to get smacked by Bokken-sama.

All six Genin headed towards the center of Konoha, where they met up with Teams eight and ten. All twelve groups went to the Uzumaki house, where they were met by Neji and his team mates Lee and Tenten. All fifth teen Genin were supplied with a drink by Naruto and Sasuke and they then sat down to discuss the exam. After an hour of talking, a unanimous decision was reached to show everyone that this batch of rookies was the best yet and everyone would work together to pass. The meeting broke up as everyone went home to prepare for the test, though Naruto distributed a pair of special scroll tags to each Genin with the instructions to pack a back pack of all the gear they might need and place the scroll with the word kon (this) on the back pack after tracing the word with their blood. If they needed the back pack for any reason during the exam, they simply had to swipe their blood on the second scroll, which had the word choudai (get) written on it, and the back pack would be teleported to their side. This was one of Naruto's specialties, using scroll tags to store things for later retrieval, so everyone eagerly took a pair of the tags. All the Genin went home and made sure they ate a healthy dinner before getting to bed early.

(0o0o0)

The next morning at the Academy found Team Seven and Team Kunoichi eagerly walking to the gates of the school. Naruto pushed open the doors and led the way towards the stairs only to stop at the second floor and stare at two Genin who seemed to be blocking the way into room 301. "Sheesh, they can't fool the king of pranks, this is the second floor," whispered Naruto to his friends. He led the way to where Neji, Tenten, and Lee were observing the commotion.

Several of the Genin trying to get through the door were smacked in the face by the two guards who said, "The Chunin Exam isn't easy, even we have failed it three times straight. Those that take this exam and end up quitting as shinobi, those that die during the exam, we've seen it all! And Chunins often become captains of military teams. The failure of a mission, the death of a comrade, that is all the captain's responsibility. Yet kids like you think you can pass?"

Sasuke suddenly got a wicked grin on his face before he whispered something to Naruto. Naruto's fox grin became so big that it threatened to engulf his whole face. A quick Kage Bushin and Henge later and Konohamaru was suddenly worming his way through the Genin crowded around the two Genin blocking the door. "Hey, move it you jerks, I've got to get to class! Why are you blocking off the second floor like a bunch of idiots?" yelled the clone. All the Genin stared at the clone in shock as he kicked one of the Genin in the shin before slipping past them and darting through the door. Behind all the Genin, nine particular Genin collapsed to the floor laughing. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Aki, Akemi, and Haku were all having a hard time breathing as the Genin that had been fooled tried to figure out what was so funny. Gishou was on his back beside Naruto, his two tails waving wildly as he emitted a series of barks that passed for laughter for foxes.

Sasuke finally got his laughter under control and stood up with a smirk on his face. "You two have a good idea, but such an idiotic means of going about it. You will let us pass and dispel this Genjutsu that surrounds us!" said Sasuke. Naruto and Neji stood behind their friend, all three wearing identical smirks.

"So you noticed," said one of the two guard Genin.

"Psh, it was easy. Two Hyuga, a kitsune hanyou, a kitsune, and an Uchiha working together makes it almost impossible for a Genjutsu to get us," said Neji. "We noticed right off that this was the second floor." With a shimmer the sign above the door changed from 301 to 201.

"Hmm, not bad, but all you did was see through it!" exclaimed one of the boys before he charged towards Sasuke. The Genin suddenly felt something soft around his legs as Naruto's tails grabbed him and yanked him up into the air before whirling him around and throwing him back into his friend. The nine Genin calmly walked up the stairs, ignoring the whispers and glances directed at and about them.

"I thought we were going to keep a low profile?" Aki whispered to Neji, who rolled his eyes.

"You forget, Naruto is by nature an attention seeker and Sasuke has gotten used to doing the same thing," said Neji with a condensing smirk. The Hyuga genius looked ahead and groaned as he watched Lee challenge Sasuke to a quick fight. Sasuke agreed and the five Genin and single fox not participating in this fight stood to the side to watch. Neji and Tenten kept walking, though the remaining Genin thought they heard Tenten caughtioning Lee against using 'that' move.

Haku glanced around and saw a clock, causing her to gasp and say, "Sasuke-kun, we only have thirty minutes until the meeting!" Sasuke nodded, showing he understood, before he charged towards Lee.

'He's coming. Gomen Gai-sensei, I may need to break your rules. I may need to use that move!' thought Lee as he seemed to blur to the side to avoid Sasuke. "Konoha Senpuu!" yelled Lee as he swung his foot towards Sasuke in an overhead kick.

Sasuke barely managed to avoid the kick and cursed when he saw a low kick coming towards him. 'Damn, I can't dodge it, got to block!' thought Sasuke as he brought an arm up to block. What happened next surprised everyone who hadn't seen Lee fight before. Lee's foot slipped past Sasuke's guard and the Uchiha boy crashed into the ground. 'He slipped through my guard, was that ninjutsu or Genjutsu?' Sasuke thought as he stood up with something that caused Haku to gasp, both of Sasuke's eyes had two comma shaped marks around the pupil.

'That's Sasuke-kun's bloodline, the Sharingan!' thought Haku as she remembered staring into those swirling orbs on the Great Naruto Bridge.

'So that is the legendary Sharingan,' thought Lee as he gestured for Sasuke to come at him.

'Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, I'll reveal it!' thought Sasuke as he charged at Lee. Everyone gasped as Sasuke received a powerful kick to the chin that launched him into the air. 'The Sharingan can't read it, what can this be?'

"My techniques are neither Ninjutsu or Genjutsu," said Lee just before he disappeared and reappeared behind Sasuke's back. "Kage Buyou (Leaf Shadow Dance)," said Lee as he pressed his finger against the small of Sasuke's back. "My techniques are pure Taijutsu, Sasuke-kun. You may not believe me because it is so basic, but they say the Sharingan has the ability to reveal all types of jutsu. It is true that by reading Ninjutsu and Genjutsu which need chakra to be raised and seals to be performed, you get an advantage through the Sharingan. But Taijutsu is a little different," said Lee.

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, who had found out that he couldn't seem to move.

"Even if you can read my movements with your eyes, your body doesn't have the speed to react to my Taijutsu. Basically, even if you can see it, if your body can't move, then it's useless," said Lee. The bandages around his wrists unraveled and started swirling around behind him. "Do you know this? Among strong people, exists genius types and hardworking types. If your Sharingan is a genius type from the Uchiha blood, I am simply a hardworking type who has mastered only taijutsu. You could say that my ultimate Taijutsu is the worst possible match up for your Sharingan. And I'll prove it with this technique that hard work surpasses genius!" exclaimed Lee.

Before Lee could do anything else, a pinwheel shot through the air like a kunai and pinned the trailing edge of one of his bandages. A giant orange turtle appeared across the room and yelled, "That's enough Lee!" All the remaining Genin stared in shock, except for Naruto, who looked like he saw a ghost, and Gishou, who had jumped into Hinata's hood.

Lee and Sasuke both fell towards the ground, but while Lee flipped to land on his feet, Haku darted forward and slid to catch Sasuke before he could hit the ground. The hanyou girl made a startling discovery as she asked, "Are you alright Sasuke-kun?" 'He's shaken, he didn't even try to protect himself from that fall' she thought as she took in Sasuke's pale face.

"So you were watching," Lee said as he looked at the turtle.

"Lee, that technique is forbidden!" yelled the turtle.

"But I wasn't planning to use the other one!" stammered Lee as he tried to defend himself under the turtle's glare.

"You fool!" yelled the turtle, "You think you can get away with an excuse like that? You already know what it means for a shinobi to reveal his special techniques!"

"Yes," replied Lee as he looked at the ground.

"Are you prepared to pay?" asked the turtle. When Lee nodded, the turtle exclaimed, "Then here comes Gai-sensei!" With that, a strange looking man that looked like an older version of Lee appeared on top of the turtle.

"No, anyone but him!" groaned Naruto as he put his hands in his face.

"Whoah, you guys are the epitome of adolescence!" said the man.

"Anyone but Super Thick Brows!" groaned Naruto. He knew Lee was Gai's favorite pupil, but Lee was cool. Gai was just plain weird. Hinata had ducked behind Naruto, memories of Gai looming over her on one of his visits to the Hyuga manner to discuss Neji's training with their parents and wiggling his eyebrows in an attempt to amuse her causing her to grab Naruto's tails.

"Super thick," muttered Haku.

"Supper faggy," snorted Akemi, "they look like caterpillars."

"Hey! Stop insulting Gai-sensei!" yelled Lee. The boy started to charge Naruto, only to be halted by Gai.

"Lee!" yelled the green clad Jounin.

"Oh, yes Gai-sensei?" asked Lee as he spun to face Gai.

"BAKA!" yelled Gai as he slugged Lee. All the watching Genin stared in shock as Lee hit the ground and looked up at Gai as the Jounin knelt down on one knee. "You are… you are," stammered Gai.

"Sensei," gasped Lee. Tears started pouring from the eyes of sensei and student as Lee stammered, "Sensei, I…I."

"That's enough Lee, you don't need to say it," sobbed Gai as he grabbed Lee and the two hugged.

"Sensei!" wailed Lee. All the watching Genin shuddered.

'I lost to him?' thought Sasuke.

"Yes, this is what youth is all about!" exclaimed Gai.

"Sensei!"

"It's all right Lee. Youth and mistakes go together," said Gai as he released Lee.

"You are to nice Gai-sensei," sobbed Lee.

"But you did start a fight and almost broke my rules. Therefore your punishment will take place after the Chunin Exam! Five Hundred laps around the practice range!" yelled Gai as he punched the air.

"Hai!" yelled Lee as he saluted Gai.

Gai then looked over at the watching Genin and asked, "Hey you guys, how are Kakashi-sensei and Rin-sensei doing?"

"You know Kakashi-sensei?" asked Hinata.

"Know him… hehehe," said Gai before he vanished and reappeared behind Team Seven. "People refer to us as…"

"Eternal rivals," finished Naruto. "I know, you two were assigned to babysit me at the same time and you made it into a contest out of who could get me to sleep faster. You made me do Chunin Level Exercises until I fell asleep standing up, while Kakashi jabbed a pressure point to send me off right away! You were my worst baby sitter ever!"

Gai coughed and said, "Fifty wins, forty-nine losses, I'm stronger than Kakashi!"

"See, Gai-sensei is incredible!" yelled Lee.

"Sorry about Lee, I swear on this face it won't happen again," said Gai as he grinned, causing light to _ping_ off his teeth as he made a thumbs up. "You guys and Lee should head over to the classroom," said Gai as he threw a kunai to knock the pinwheel holding Lee's bandage to the wall down.

Naruto glanced at Lee as the green clad boy was rewrapping his bandages and noted the heavy scars and bruises on Lee's hands. 'Yep, Oka-san was right,' he thought, 'Lee trains really hard to have that many bruises on his hands. He's definitely a Taijutsu master.'

"Good luck Lee, later," said Gai before he disappeared with his turtle.

"Sasuke-kun, I have to say one thing. You, Naruto-kun, and my team mate Neji-kun are most likely the strongest Konoha Genin here. I entered this exam to fight all of you. I hope that I get that chance. Naruto-kun, I'm sorry if I offended you by not asking to fight you, but I would not wish to anger Kyuubi-sama, who is my personal physician, if I made you unable to participate in the exam due to chakra fatigue. I have no doubt that we would have an excellent match, so be ready during the exam," said Lee before he bowed and leapt away to rejoin Neji and Tenten in the exam room.

"You saw his hand to, didn't you Sasuke?" asked Naruto. Sasuke nodded, as did Haku. Akemi, Hinata, and Aki all looked confused. Seeing the girls' confusion, Naruto continued, "Lee is a unique shinobi. I've heard Oka-san speak highly of him. He is unable to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, so he trains exclusively in Taijutsu. He trains really hard, every day, most likely more than any of us, and the result is visible on his hands. They're scarred and bruised from his training. There is no shame to being beaten by such a dedicated and skilled shinobi."

Sasuke grinned as he said, "This thing is getting fun, this Chunin Exam! All our friends are waiting for us, so lets go!"

"Yosh! We're going to kick ass!" yelled Akemi and Naruto as they punched the air. The two teams walked towards the hall to room 301 and were surprised to see Kakashi and Rin waiting for them. Apparently, Kakashi had gotten there first and tried to sneak a peak at his book, only to have Rin appear and beat him unmercifully with Bokken-sama.

"Ah, good, you're all here!" said Rin with a smile. Kakashi stared at the Genin with a slightly glazed expression, making Hinata and Haku wonder if Rin had permenatly broken him.

Kakashi put their worries to rest when he said, "This exam can only be taken by teams of three. Since you all showed up of your own will, you've proven that you have the qualities required to take this exam. You're our proud teams. Now go on!"

"Yeah!" said Naruto as he pushed open the door to the classroom.

"Wow," was the only thing to pass the mouths of all six Genin as they stared into the room packed full of shinobi from all the different countries. All the shinobi were staring in the direction of the two teams, and Naruto could smell the slight tinge of fear on both Hinata and Akemi.

As everyone was taking in the huge number of Genin, a loud voice squealed "Sasuke-kun! You're late!" before a blond Kunoichi glomped Sasuke. "I haven't seen you for a while so I've been waiting in excitement!" squealed Ino.

Haku's eyes narrowed as Sakura joined in, grabbing Sasuke's other side. "Get away from Sasuke-kun Ino-pig!" yelled Sakura.

"Both of you get off me!" yelled Sasuke as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, causing both girls to crash together, and reappeared by Haku. Haku's tail silently moved to squeeze Sasuke's leg, causing him to jump a bit in surprise then smile at the hanyou girl.

"You guys are taking this stupid test to? Don't die," muttered Shikamaru as he walked up with Chouji. "Man this sucks," said Shikamaru as he leaned against the wall and looked out the window at the clouds. Chouji shrugged and shoveled more chips into his mouth.

"Yahoo, found you!" said a familiar voice before a white puppy leapt into Akemi's arms.

"Hello Akamaru, Kiba-kun!" said the kitsune girl as she blushed slightly. Akemi had been encountering the pair several times as she wandered the woods on her days off from training. Kiba was fun to be around and Akamaru loved to play fetch with two people to throw the ball.

"Well well, everyone is assembled," said Kiba as he took in the gathered Konoha rookies.

"Yep," said Akemi as she scratched behind Akamaru's ear. "I wonder how far we'll get?"

"No idea, but we'll prove that the Rookie Nine aren't to be taken lightly! Same goes for the Kunoichi Trio!" said Kiba. Shino nodded, eager to prove himself and make his family proud.

"Hey you guys, you should be quieter," said a silver haired Konoha Genin with glasses on as he walked towards the gathered group.

The hair on the back of Naruto's neck stiffened as he caught the man's scent. 'It's very faint, but the guy smells of blood and snakes. I wish people would wash their clothes better.' Looking at his friends, Naruto could tell Akemi and Kiba had the same reaction he did. Naruto had hated snakes ever since his father told him of Orochimaru, the Snake Senin who betrayed Konoha after he was not chosen to be Yondaime.

"Most of you are rookies fresh out of the Academy right? Screaming like schoolgirls, geez, this isn't a picnic!" said the Genin.

"And you are?" asked Sasuke.

"I'm Kabuto, but instead of that, look behind you!" said Kabuto. All twelve Genin did as instructed and saw three Hidden Rain shinobi glaring at them. "Those guys behind you are from the Hidden Rain, they have short tempers. Everyone is nervous about this exam, quiet down before you cause a scene. Well, I can't blame you, you are clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Ano, Kabuto-san? Is this your second time?" asked Aki.

"Nope, my seventh time," said Kabuto as he reached for his supply pouch. "This exam is held twice a year so this is my fourth year."

"So you must know a lot about this exam," said Haku, her eyes narrowed. Her experience with disguising herself to help Zabuza told her Kabuto was hiding something so she wasn't going to let her guard down.

"That's right," said Kabuto as he held up some strange looking cards. "Hehe, I'll share some info with you cute rookies with these Nin-info cards"

Seeing the blank looks Sakura, Chouji, and Kiba were giving Kabuto, Aki sighed and said, "They're way of holding information. My family's shop actually sells blank cards to ANBU members so they can keep a light weight list of Konoha's nuke-nin. Kabuto-san burns the information he wants to store onto the card with chakra. This prevents anyone else from seeing the card's information unless Kabuto-san uses his chakra."

"Very good explanation," said Kabuto as he held up a blank card before placing it on the ground and sending a burst of chakra into the card. A map appeared, a specific type that Naruto had seen once or twice in his father's office.

"That's a map showing how many people are taking the exam and their country," said Naruto. The little voice in the back of his head was starting to yell 'DANGER!'. 'How exactly could he get such detailed information? I thought only people like my dad had access to it.'

"Do you have cards with info on individuals?" asked Sasuke.

"Sure, are there some guys you're worried about?" asked Kabuto.

"Not worried per say, but we met yesterday and he caught our interest," said Hinata, having seen where Sasuke was going. "His name is Gaara of the Desert."

"And Rock Lee of Konoha," said Sasuke.

"Oh, you know their names, should be easy then." Said Kabuto as he whipped two cards out of his deck and flourished them. "First up is Rock Lee. He's a Taijutsu expert and only a year older than you rookies. His sensei is Gai and his team mates are Hyuga Neji and Tenten. Missions completed: 20 D-rank, 12 C-rank. Like you guys this is his first time taking the exam." Kabuto held up Lee's card and showed it to everyone gathered around him.

"Next is Gaara of the Desert. Mission history: 8 C-rank, 1 B-rank, wow, a B-rank mission as a Genin. Since he's a newcomer from a foreign country I don't have much info, but it seems he returned from all his missions without even a scratch," said Kabuto as he showed Gaara's card. All the Genin froze at that part, they couldn't think of anyone getting off without a scratch from a B-rank mission.

"I knew there was something odd about him," muttered Naruto.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Water fall, Sound, many outstanding Genins from the various hidden villages are here to take the exam," said Kabuto. "Well, Hidden Sound is a small village just created last year so there isn't much info but the rest of the hidden villages are filled with talented youngsters."

"I have faith that my Naruto-kun will beat them," said Hinata as she hugged Naruto from behind.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun will kick their asses!" exclaimed Sakura, Haku, and Ino all at once. All three girls glared at each other, though Sasuke was secretly cheering for Haku to kick the other girls' butts so they would leave him alone.

"Thanks for the votes of confidence girls, but this isn't going to be easy," said Sasuke with a glance around the room. He saw Gaara and his team, Neji, Lee, and Tenten, and many others he had seen around town at one time or another.

(0o0o0)

Outside room 301, Kakashi leaned against the wall with Rin and considered his descision to enter his team in the exam. "Rin, did we make a good choice to send them into that room? You remember how brutal the Chunin Exam was for us," he said. Memories of Obito shouting out that he wouldn't lose to the rest of the participants were bouncing through Kakashi's head.

"Hey, you've trained those kids well. Naruto has his kitsune abilities, kenjutsu (Sword arts), and the various jutsu you've taught him. Sasuke has mastered his Sharingan and Katon jutsu, while Hinata has mastered her Jyuken (Gentle Fist), Hyuga family jutsu, and is at least as good a medic nin as I was on **that** mission," said Rin. Neither of them had to specify which mission that was, the one where Obito gave up his life to save their lives and Kakashi got his Sharingan.

Gai stepped out of the shadows and smiled at his two friends. "Don't worry, Naruto and Sasuke are perfect examples of the Power of Youth! They, along with Neji and Lee, are two of the strongest genin in there. I wouldn't be surprised if all of them make it to the Third round!" said the thick browed Jounin.

"Thanks Gai, but I can't help but feel that even the fearless Naruto and Sasuke will be shaking in their boots right now," sighed Kakashi.

(0o0o0)

Hinata was surprised to feel Naruto trembling in her arms. 'Is even Naruto-kun nervous after seeing these numbers? I can understand, we're rookie Genins, but we're the rookies among rookies! We've been training hard since we became a team and we'll do our best. I'd better try to cheer Naruto-kun up!' Hinata reluctantly released Naruto from her grasp and started to give him some words of encouragement. However, she was interrupted by her boyfriend himself.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I won't lose to you bastards!" roared Naruto as he pointed at the entire room. Everyone's heads swiveled to focus on Naruto. "You got that!"

(0o0o0)

Outside the room, Kakashi and Rin's eyes widened as they heard Naruto echo Obito's words from their first Chunin Exam. Both old team mates sighed and said, "Three, two, one," before a loud POW shook the hall.

"What just happened?" asked Gai.

"Hinata just tackle glomped him to shut him up, didn't she Kakashi?" said Rin. Kakashi nodded, Hinata had perfected the Taijutsu technique Tackle Glomp at a young age and could use it very effectively.

(0o0o0)

Mutters of "Who's the brat?", "A hanyou?", and "Are they idiots?" swept around the room until the sound of clapping drowned them out. All the Konoha Genin in the room rose to their feet to salute the son of their Hokage. "If anyone can beat everyone here, it's your team Naruto," said one of the Leaf Genin, "But don't expect us to hold back on you because of your dad."

From his pinned position under Hinata Naruto grinned and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"That's Naruto, always the center of attention," said Neji with a smile at his friend.

"His youthful spirit is so invigorating! If I can't beat Naruto-kun I'll run around Konoha five hundred times on my hands! And if I can't do that I'll kick the log one thousand times!" exclaimed Lee.

(0o0o0)

In the middle of the room, three figures eyed the Konoha Rookies. "Hehehe, the Hidden Sound is a minor village? Is that so?" said one who wore a strange piece of head armor that protected the sides of his head. "Lets play with them a little bit,"

"Hehe, good idea. Calling us leftovers, let's help him add to his data that Hidden Sound Shinobi can be quite vicious!" chuckled a genin with bandages wrapped around his entire head except for his left eye and ear. Both of these genin and their partner wore a Hitai-ate with a musical note on it.

(0o0o0)

You do realize that you made everyone here your enemy, right?" asked Shikamaru as he stared at Naruto. The blond shinobi had managed to wiggle out of Hinata's grasp and stand up, though his tails had wrapped around Hinata, as they seemed to do whenever they were close together.

Naruto shrugged and said, "They are already opponents, what's a little more incentive?"

(0o0o0)

"Should we do it?" asked the bandaged Sound nin. The sound trio watched as Kabuto sighed at the Konoha Rookies' antics and made their move.

(0o0o0)

Naruto and Akemi's ears suddenly stiffened and they glanced towards the crowd in front of them, managing to catch glimpses of three people moving rapidly through the crowd. Naruto saw one of them reaching back with his arm as he darted from seat to seat, staying low to the ground. Akemi gasped as another boy leapt over the crowd and tossed two kunai at Kabuto. The silver haired genin darted backwards to avoid the attack, only to find the boy Naruto had seen suddenly in his face. The Sound genin swung at Kabuto, who moved his head back away from the blow.

Suddenly, Naruto, Akemi, Kiba, and Haku all winced as their more sensitive ears were assaulted by a loud noise. Akamaru and Gishou both fell to the floor whimpering, while Kabuto's glasses shattered and the sliver haired genin fell to his knees throwing up.

"What's going on, he dodged the attack?" asked Sasuke.

"Sound waves," gasped Naruto, rubbing his hands over his ears. "that guy is somehow emitting waves of sound at a level you guys can't hear with human hearing. So even though his physical attack missed, the sound waves attack the inner ear and make you throw up. It's like the dog whistles Kiba's family uses to train their dogs when they're puppies."

Everyone focused on the thee Sound shinobi, who seemed to radiate a hostile and confident aura.

"Kabuto-san, are you all right?" asked Hinata as she helped the older boy up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Kabuto as he whipped his mouth clean.

"How pathetic, especially since you're supposed to be a four year veteran," said the bandaged sound nin.

"Write this down on your cards," said the Sound nin who had thrown the kunai, "The three genin from Hidden Sound, definite future Chunin!"

(0o0o0)

"Lee, was Naruto right about the sound waves?" asked Tenten.

The spandex wearing boy nodded. "No problem in seeing his speed, Naruto-kun's explanation seems to be right," said Lee.

Across the room, Gaara glared at the Sound shinobi with disdain before focusing on Naruto. 'So that isn't a costume, I knew he seemed different from the others,' thought the gourd carrying shinobi.

A sudden BANG followed by a cloud of smoke at the front of the room caught everyone's attention as a voice yelled, "Quiet down you worthless bastards!"

The smoke cleared to reveal a bunch of Konoha shinobi in fancy uniforms and a scar faced man in a black trench coat. "Thanks for waiting," said the trench coated man, "I'm Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chunin exam's first test." Ibiki then pointed to the three shinobi from Hidden Sound. "Hidden Sound guys, stop doing as you please before the exam. Do you want to fail already?" demanded Ibiki.

"I apologize, this is our first time, we got carried away," said the bandage wrapped shinobi.

"Bah, I might as well say this now, there will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" growled Ibiki.

"Heh, this exam sounds easy," said the head armor wearing Sound nin.

"Now, we will start the first test in the Chunin Exam. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick one of these tabs," here Ibiki held up a small square with the number one on it, "and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

'That Sadist, he knows how much I hate these things,' thought Naruto as he grabbed his tab and glared at Ibiki. Naruto found his seat, happy to see Haku was next to him on his right. Naruto put Gishou on his head for his thinking cap, he always seemed to have an easier time with written tests when the kitsune was perched on his head. "Hey Haku-chan, lets do our best!" said Naruto.

"Hai!" said Haku with a smile. Sasuke, who was looking at Naruto and Haku, felt butterflies in his stomach as he caught that smile and had to rapidly calm himself down or risk missing what Ibiki was saying.

"Do not turn your test over and listen closely to what I have to say," said the scar covered man. "There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write them on the board as I explain, but questions will not be allowed, so listen carefully!"

Ibiki turned his back to the genin and started writing on the board as he said, "The first rule, you all start with ten points. The test has ten questions, each worth one point, but this is a subtraction exam. For each wrong answer you lose a point. A perfect score on the test will let you keep all your points. Getting all the questions wrong means you get zero points. The second rule is that this is a team test. Whether you pass or not is determined by your team's combined score. So each team starts with thirty points and sees how many you can hold from that amount. The third rule is that during this exam, anyone the proctors catch doing sneaky activity, namely cheating, will have two points subtracted for each offense! So there will be some who will lose all their points during the exam and be asked to leave."

One of the seated proctors, whom Naruto recognized as having been one of the two 'genin' guarding room 201 under a Henge, grinned and said, "We'll have our eyes on you."

Naruto grimaced as he noticed several Hyuga among the proctors. 'Shit, they're really going all out!' he thought.

Ibiki continued speaking, "Realize that the idiots caught cheating are only hurting themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the rank of Chunin, be proud ninja! And the final rule, anyone who loses all their initial points during the test or fails to answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their two teammates!"

Naruto froze, this was bad. He always had a hard time with written tests, no matter how much he studied for them. Sasuke and Hinata were a lot smarter than him, but he probably knew more about the different hidden villages than they did. 'I hope I can do this,' thought Naruto.

"The exam will last one hour!" said Ibiki as he wrote down the start time on the board. He then watched the clock as the second hand inched closer and closer to the twelve. "Ok, BEGIN!"

**Okay, another chapter done. I'm sorry the last one was late, I worked extra hard to get this one finished on time and I'm starting work on the next one right away!**


	9. Tail 8: Test 1 start!

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, one of the most exciting parts of the story is here, the Chunin Exam! There will soon be lots of fights and plenty of action, the preliminary round alone will take at least one chapter, most likely two. All battles for the preliminary and final round have been determined by me already, so I'm sorry if you don't get to see a particular fight you want. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews, give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses:_

_Drakedragon1: I'll give you the same response I gave Scorpio V1.2. Each time Naruto's kitsune blood gets a bit of control it becomes stronger, speeding up the growth of his tails. Compared to Naruto's enormous growth rate in the manga, I think I'm keeping pace. Then there is the fact that Kyuubi's kitsune blood is extremely powerful and when combined with the power of a Hokage gives Naruto a huge power boost. _

_RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: Sakura will be a Genjutsu mistress and possibly go to Tsunade for training, but I think Hinata with Tsunade strength will be even more awesome._

_DarkGaara: Gaara is the same as in the series, but if he were to merge with Shukaku then I'd make him a hanyou. That might not happen though. I agree, any kids Sasuke and Haku have will be awesome._

_Crimson-Strike: You might like how Haku passes the answers to her team mates and how the 'battle' starts this chapter. Haku will win hands down, but the fight isn't over yet._

_Tombadgerlock: He'll figure it out, he isn't a dead last in this story and pretty smart._

_Ranma Hibiki: Of course they'll pass! And you're right, never try to prank the king of pranks._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Haku is Akemi's unofficial sister, so it's just like how I have Rin and Shippo getting together in A Dream is a Wish, the family relationship is mostly just legal stuff and not by blood. They're close like family but not related and the relationship will mature over time. I guess I was obvious, but Haku is the first kunoichi besides Hinata that Sasuke respects._

_Story Weaver1: Glad you liked the romance and the Lover's Special. I decided Naruto and Hinata needed a special dish for sharing. The tackle glomp is the ultimate fan girl technique, allowing the fan girl to capture an escaping idol and have her way with him. And to be frank, Gai is pretty much in character from the manga._

_God in a Box: Don't get me wrong, Haku is still a medic Nin, she's just learning from Rin with Hinata._

_Byuu128: are you reading my mind or something? You're right on both guesses._

_Black Knife: I do try to update once a week, usually around Saturday, but I highly recommend putting me on author alert, because school and real life can delay when I upload._

_Joecool4: Naruto is smarter in this story and he has Gishou to help him. _

_xAkix: Because I was at 20 pages in word, I had to put the cutoff there. Yes, the English translations of some of the techniques are very gay, they called Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu 'Me and my Shadow' in Shonen Jump! I can't wait for summer, lots of writing time then._

_Mrasdfghj: Here is the update. You're right, it is hard to balance college and writing._

_Scorpio V1.2: Akemi isn't a hanyou! She's a full blooded kitsune, why does everyone assume she is a hanyou? The violent mood swings for Haku are a good idea, I'll remember that. _

_Night-Owl123: The scroll is just some miscelanious details that needed to be cleared up, like 'so and so could not make it and will not be participating in the exam'. Gaara still has Shukaku._

_Aloi-chan: Gishou is a kitsune, but he spends all his time in full fox form and is about the size of Akamaru. Gishou is happy to be Naruto's pet/guardian when he was younger. _

_Damon Rhodes: Gaara is the same as in the anime/manga, but another major character will have a similar situation._

_Whiterose03: Naruto also has to get people to respect him because of his skill, not because of his bloodline. So he has two reasons, though the hanyou one isn't very big except when faced with a youkai._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_I know this part will seem dull, but I want to cover how the teams pass this part as quickly as possible and get to the second part of the Chunin Exam._

'Oh man, this is impossible! There's no way I can answer these questions,' thought Naruto as he stared at his test paper.

The same thoughts were echoed through many heads throughout the room.

Naruto's eyes shot around the room, noticing that a few people had started writing already. The hanyou boy noticed Sakura was one of those people, plus a few other genin scattered around the room. Naruto suddenly felt something wet touch his hand. Glancing down, Naruto saw the words 'I think the purpose of this exam is to test our skills at gathering data,' out of water. Naruto suddenly grinned and reached up to scratch Gishou.

"_Hey, can you tell if anyone is cheating?"_ asked Naruto in kitsune speech. After receiving an affirmative yip, Naruto nodded his head while one tail traced the words 'you're right!' Naruto then told Gishou to keep an eye out for people who had the same answers for a question.

(0o0o0)

Hinata grinned as she hastily copied the answers of the person in front of her. A simple Genjutsu hid the telltale veins around her eyes that signaled her Byakugan was active as she peered through the Genin's body. She had been suspicious when she saw the genin start writing right away after Ibiki said to start and activated her Byakugan. Hinata frowned as her eyes caught what looked like a moving ceiling tile, then she grinned as she realized it was an ice mirror gliding along the ceiling. Hinata watched the mirror and quickly wrote the words 'the guy in front of me is a plant with the correct answers'. The mirror froze for a second before zipping to a stop above the false Genin. Hinata watched water form the word 'thanks' before disappearing. Hinata quickly erased the message on her paper, happy to have helped Haku out. Since Naruto was next to her, Hinata knew her boyfriend would get the answers from Haku.

(0o0o0)

Around the room, most of the genins had deduced the true purpose of the exam. Neji had his Byakugan active like Hinata and was watching a second planted Chunin. Sasuke had spotted the same guy and used his Sharingan to copy the man's movements. Sakura was smart enough to answer the questions on her own, while Ino possessed Sakura with her Shintenshin (Mind Body switch) no jutsu to get the answers from her and then pass them to her team mates. Tenten used a bunch of chakra strings to maneuver the mirrors in the ceiling lights to get the answers for her and Lee. One of Shino's bugs looked for the answers and reported them to the silent boy, while Gishou and Akamaru helped their friends by softly passing on the correct answers they could see. Haku used her mirrors to gather the answers thanks to Hinata's hint and used her water writing to pass the answers to Akemi and Aki. Soon, the sloppy genin were being eliminated, putting more and more pressure on the remaining genin. Naruto had a brief scare when the first person to be eliminated for sloppy cheating was right behind him and had a kunai thrown at him by the proctors to signal him out. The kunai passed within a centimeter of Naruto's cheek and sliced off a bit of his blond hair. 'Crazy kunai happy psycho, you could have cut me!' thought Naruto before he grabbed the kunai with a tail. A quick rummage in his supply pouch and Naruto's grin could rival a Cheshire cat's. Naruto idly tossed the kunai back to the proctor who threw it. The Chunin caught the kunai, only to have it explode in his face with a cloud of smelly smoke. All the Chunin proctors had to fight hard not to laugh at their comrade's fate, while Ibiki's mouth twitched as he struggled not to smile.

Naruto was staring at the last question, which said, 'This question will be revealed forty five minutes after the test begins. Listen closely to the examiner before answering'. Naruto was bored, he had fifth teen minutes to go thanks to swapping answers with Haku, so he reached into his supply pouch for a piece of jerky to keep him occupied. After passing a piece to Gishou, Naruto sat and chewed as he examined the remaining teams. All of his friends were still there, as well as the sand team. Naruto watched the black suited kid, Kankuro, stand up and raise his hand.

"Excuse me," said Kankuro.

"What do you want?" replied one of the watching Chunin.

"Bathroom," said Kankuro, wincing slightly as he rubbed his legs together.

The Suna Genin was soon handcuffed by a Chunin who said, "we have to follow you to the bathroom," and held one end of a rope tied to the handcuffs like a leash.

"Whatever," said Kankuro as he walked out of the room.

(0o0o0)

Back in room 301, Ibiki gazed around and the remaining genin. 'Hehehe, we've gotten rid of the losers, now to move on to the tougher characters. It's time to up the pressure,' thought the instructor. Ibiki cleared his throat and said, "Okay, time for the tenth question!" which had the entire room's attention focused on him.

Naruto's head snapped up as he heard Ibiki speak and he head Haku's heart beat speed up beside him. All of Naruto's friends were tense, not wanting to miss a bit of the question. Naruto suddenly noticed Ibiki's eye seemed to be fixed on him as the instructor started speaking again.

"Now, there are a few new rules for this question," said Ibiki, but before he could go on the door to the room opened and Kankuro walked back in with his Chunin escort. "Heh, good timing," said Ibiki. "Was your playing with dolls beneficial?" Kankurou seemed to freeze for a second before resuming his march to his seat, though Neji and Hinata saw him pass a piece of folded paper to his sister as he passed her seat. "Just sit down," said Ibiki. After Kankurou was in his seat, Ibiki stood up and started pacing in front of the black board. "I'll now explain the rules of desperation.

(0o0o0)

In a comfy room, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Rin awaited the news of their team's progress in the Chunin Exam. Kakashi was somehow managing to drink cups full of scalding hot coffee in one gulp to prevent his face from being seen in the brief moments everyone's attention was off him. The masked Jounin sighed and glanced out the window as he said, "I'm starting to miss my team, by now Naruto and Sasuke would have started a silly contest to keep the group morale up while Hinata prepared to treat their wounds."

Asuma blew out a cloud of smoke, which caused Rin to gag before she used her control over the wind to blow the smoke back in his face and into the nearby garbage can, before saying "Don't worry, you'll be seeing them again soon." Seeing Kakashi's confused glance, Asuma continued, "I heard that the examiner for the first exam is Morino Ibiki."

Kakashi sweat dropped as he thought of Ibiki's habits. "Not that sadist," groaned the masked Jounin as he rubbed his forehead with the back of one hand. 'Passing the first part of the exam might be harder for them than I thought,'

Kurenai tilted her head to the side in confusion as she asked, "Sadist?"

Rin frowned and said, "You wouldn't know because you're a new Jounin," but her pause just made Kurenai more nervous.

"So who is he?" asked Kurenai. The crimson eyed Jounin knew Sakura had confidence problems and was worried she might crack from what Rin and Asuma said.

Rin, Asuma, and Kakashi all traded glances and Asuma sighed, releasing a small cloud of smoke, before he said, "A pro."

"Nani? A pro of what?" asked Kurenai, clearly annoyed at the delaying tactics.

"Torture and interrogation," said Kakashi. "Konoha's assassination squad, torture, and interrogation captain, Special Jounin Morino Ibiki."

Seeing Kurenai's reaction to the word torture, Rin quickly said, "There isn't any physical torture during the test, the only thing Ibiki-san does is use his interrogation skills to make them sweat mentally. From what you've told us about Sakura, she has a very sharp mind and won't buckle under pressure."

(0o0o0)

'Heh, Rules of Desperation? I remember when Ibiki-san was stuck babysitting me we glared at each other for two hours without moving before he said that and said that if I answered his question correctly I would get to eat all the ice cream I wanted and if I failed then he would put me in my bed and tie me down. I bet this is the same type of situation, where he's testing if we have the guts to put ourselves on the line.

"First, for this tenth question, you must choose whether or not to take it," said Ibiki. Naruto grinned inside his head and his suspicions were proved correct.

The fan wielding Suna kunoichi Temari suddenly yelled, "Choose? What happens if we choose not to?"

"Those that choose not to answer will have their points reduced to zero and fail automatically along with their two team mates! But if you fail this question, you will lose the right to ever take the Chunin Exam again!"

There was a moment of shocked silence before Kiba yelled, "What kind of stupid rule is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before?"

"You're just unlucky I'm running the show this year and my rules are the ones that matter," said Ibiki. "But because I'm not a complete bastard I'm giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take the question and try again next year."

'That means if you fail the question you'll be a genin forever! If no one takes it everyone fails. Neither option is good,' thought Sakura.

"Now, let's begin the tenth question," said Ibiki. "Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

'What should I do? If I fail this there is a good chance I'll lose my place as the Hyuga Heiress and Hanabi will be forced into the position. I was lucky with the other questions but this one doesn't only affect me but my team mates and clan. I know the elders have been displeased by the bond I share with Neji-ni-san and the crumbling of the wall between the main and branch houses and would jump on any show of weakness from me to make things the way they were before father seized control after the attempted kidnapping. And if I fail I'll cost Naruto-kun his dream of being Hokage,' thought Hinata.

There was a brief silence before the Konoha genin to Naruto's left stood up and raised his hands. More and more genin raised their hands, teams leaving the room with regret for their fear and doubt.

'I don't want to see Naruto-kun's dream or the hopes for the Hyuga clan to perish,' thought Hinata as she started to raise her hand. However, she saw something that caused her to freeze and stare in shock.

(0o0o0)

"Ibiki knows the human mind completely, that's what makes him scary," said Rin. "By attacking their mind he can control their spirit."

"I've seen him in action, the person's weaknesses float to the surface and they crumble. You can't escape his interrogation," said Asuma gravely. "He'll have those genin so scared they won't be able to think straight and give up."

(0o0o0)

All the Konoha genin left in the room stared at Naruto in shock as he raised his trembling hand into the air.

'Naruto?' was the thought that flashed through the mind of Sasuke and the rest of Naruto's friends.

(0o0o0)

"I don't know, I think you might be forgetting something," said Kakashi with a smirk that was obvious through his mask.

"Oh? And what is that?" asked Asuma, though Rin seemed to have a good idea what Kakashi was talking about.

(0o0o0)

WHAM! Naruto's hand slammed down onto the table in front of him as he yelled, "Don't underestimate me! I will not run away from a stupid question! I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever, I'll will myself to becoming Hokage anyway, so I don't care! I am not afraid!"

(0o0o0)

"Naruto. He has the power that a Hokage needs to reach into the hearts of his comrades and ignite their courage and replenish their strength. Just having him show up on our mission to Wave Country caused Sasuke to forget his fears and reach past his inner barriers for more strength. Naruto's strength of will is next to none, I've tried to use numerous Genjutsu on him and he shrugs them off like it was nothing. That's why he'll beat Ibiki at his own game," said Kakashi with a smile.

(0o0o0)

'Naruto-kun, I'm sorry I doubted myself and almost cost you your dream,' thought Hinata.

"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision, this is your last chance to quit," said Ibiki quietly.

Naruto smirked as he said, "I follow my unbending words, that's my nindo."

'Hmph, he completely blasted away everyone's fears. He's so much like Ken-sama that it's scary. He'll make a great Hokage someday. Seventy eight left, more than I expected. Stretching this any longer won't make any difference,' thought Ibiki as he glanced at the Chunin proctors. All the Chunin nodded slightly, small smiles appearing on their faces.

"Good decisions. Now to everyone still remaining," said Ibiki, causing the entire room to tense and gulp as they prepared to answer the last question, "I congratulate you on passing the first test!"

Expressions of surprise appeared on many faces throughout the room before Sakura broke the silence.

"What do you mean? We already pass? What about the tenth question?" she practically yelled.

Ibiki suddenly grinned, something that transformed his scarred face from a scary mask to a much nicer face. "There never was such a thing, or you can say that the choice you made was the tenth question," he said.

"Then what was the purpose of the first nine questions? They were pointless!" yelled Temari.

"No, the purpose of those nine questions was to test your individual information gathering abilities," said Ibiki, still smiling and looking slightly creepy with the scars on his face.

'He's suddenly changed personalities,' thought Temari before she said, "Information gathering?" and looked really confused, making Naruto wonder if the blond jokes Sasuke sometimes cracked were true for every blond except him.

"First, as the rules explained, success on this test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on each member not to mess things up for their team mates," said Ibiki.

"I knew it, this was just like that stupid ice cream question," whispered Naruto, but only loud enough that Haku could hear him.

"But the questions on this test were not the types that a mere genin could answer, with a few exceptions. Because of that, I'm sure most of you came to the same conclusion, that to score points you'd have to cheat. Basically the whole idea behind this test is to cheat. As cheating targets, we planted two chunins who knew all the answers in the crowd to help you out. Some of you might have noticed that there are eighty of you remaining, not possible since this exam is taken in groups of three," said Ibiki.

Hinata grinned and tapped the Chunin sitting ahead of her on the shoulder. When the man turned around, the Hyuga heiress said, "Next time don't start writing right off, it made me suspicious and my Byakugan confirmed it." The Chunin grinned and inclined his head to Hinata, though a large sweat drop formed on the back of his head because he was caught so easily by a genin.

Ibiki now reached up to untie his forehead protector, which was being used as a bandana to cover the top of his head, as he said, "But those that cheat poorly fail of course," and removed his head covering. All the Genin gasped as they saw Ibiki's head was a mess of scars, burn, and holes. The special Jounin's eyes turned stern as he continued speaking, "Because, in times, information is more important than life, and on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it."

Sasuke gulped slightly as he looked at Ibiki's head. 'Horrible burns, screw holes, scars, the after-effects of torture,' thought the Uchiha boy. Naruto, Hinata, Akemi, and Haku were all staring in shock at Ibiki, Hinata looked like she might throw up soon.

To everyone's relief, Ibiki put his forehead protector back on as he said, "If the enemy or third party notices you, there is no guarantee the information you've risked your life for will be accurate. I want you all to remember this: important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for the village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that did not have the right abilities."

Temari's face still bore a look of confusion as she said, "But I still don't understand the final question," causing Ibiki to grin.

"But question ten was the true purpose of this test," said Ibiki. Seeing the room full of blank looks, the special Jounin sighed and said, "Let me explain. The tenth question, the 'Take it' or 'Not take it' descision, obviously these were painful choices. Those who chose the latter fail along with their team mates. Those that chose to take it could lose the chance to ever take the test again, a true leap of faith. How about these two choices, say you guys become Chunin. Your mission is to steal a secret document. The amount of ninja, their abilities, etc. is unknown to you. And of course there could be traps set all around you. Now do you accept or not accept? Because you don't want to die, because you don't want your comrades hurt, can you avoid the dangerous mission?" Here Ibiki glared at everyone before saying, "The answer is NO! No matter what the danger, there are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous, and survive any hardship, this is the ability needed to become a Chunin captain. Those who can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of 'there's always next year', and walk then walk away from their chance, those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices, don't have the right to become a Chunin, that's how I feel!"

Ibiki then focused his gaze on Naruto, as did most of the room, before saying, "Those who chose to take it, answered the tenth question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You made it through the entrance, the first test of the Chunin Exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."

Naruto punched the air as he let out a loud whoop of joy before giving Haku a high five. "Hell yeah, we did it!" yelled Naruto.

'Naruto, you are an amazing guy,' thought Ibiki, just before movement outside the window to his right caught his eye.

With a loud CRASH, a black blur shot through the window and unfurled itself infront of Ibiki. Two kunai shot into the ceiling, pulling two end of a large banner up as a woman in a khaki trench coat skidded to a stop. All the Genin were staring in shock, but Naruto's face was frozen in a look of fear. 'Oh hell, not her! I have to get out of here before she sees me!' he thought.

'Geez, not this one,' thought Ibiki with a sigh.

"You guys, this is no time to be celebrating!" yelled the woman. Now everyone could see that she was dressed in a fishnet body suit that left little to the imagination and a khaki wrap skirt around her waist. Metal shin guards covered her lower legs and her hair put Sasuke's black spikes to shame. "I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go!" yelled the woman before she punched the air and bellowed, "Now follow me!"

Ibiki reached around from behind the banner Anko had put up and said, "Bad timing," which caused Anko to frown slightly.

"This examiner is Naruto-ish," said Sakura as she glared at Anko.

Anko looked around the room and frowned as she said, "Seventy eight? Ibiki, you left twenty six teams? You're getting sloppy! The test was way to easy this time!"

"This time, there are a lot of outstanding ones," said Ibiki, his eyes flicking to Naruto for a second.

Anko followed the direction of Ibiki's gaze and saw a pair of golden fox ears peaking over the edge of the table beside Haku. Anko grinned inside her head before saying, "Bah, I'll cut them at least in half in the next test." All the Genin froze at this comment, but before they could say anything, Anko continued, "Ill explain everything once we've changed places, follow me!" All the genin followed Anko, leaving Ibiki to pick up the tests.

As Ibiki gathered up the tests, he noticed one that was apparently face up instead of face down. The special Jounin found he was mistaken and it was actually a note to him on the back of the test. The note read: 'Hey Scare Face, try to be a little more intimidating tactics next time or I'll tell everyone about your collection of cute stuffed fuzzy animals.' Ibiki flipped the test over and grinned as he saw the name Uzumaki Naruto at the top of the page. 'That boy knows how to gather information well, I think he has a bit of dirt on all the top Jounin from when they've babysat him in the past,' thought Ibiki as he continued collecting the tests.

(0o0o0)

Anko lead the remaining Seventy Eight Genin to the entrance of one of the few places Naruto had been told to never enter and he had listened. Anko turned to the Genin and said, "Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice area forty four, AKA 'The Forest of Death'!"

Hinata squeezed Naruto's arm as she whispered, "I don't think I've ever seen such a creepy place." Naruto nodded, his tails were stiff with the ominous chakra that seemed to fill the air. A quick glance told him Akemi had the same problem.

Anko smirked as she said, "you'll soon find out why it's called the 'Forest of Death'."

Naruto snorted and said, "First Scar Face tries to intimidate us and now you Anko-san. 'You'll soon find out why it's called the 'Forest of Death'. You think that scares me?" Naruto pointed at Anko and yelled, "That's nothing! I'm not afraid!"

Anko chuckled and said, "Yeah, you're spirited Naru-chan," before she smiled. However, that was a distraction as a kunai shot out of Anko's sleeve and into her hand before she threw it at Naruto. The blond shinobi ducked down and spun around to block a second kunai Anko had aimed at his cheek with his sword. Anko grinned and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You've gotten better, last time I got you with that trick," she said. Anko suddenly glanced behind her and had another kunai in her hand as she prepared to block an attack from behind, only to see a long tongue hand her back her kunai.

The tongue was attached to a long haired man with a wide straw hat whose Hitai-ate marked him as coming from Hidden Grass. The man said "Here's your kunai," as he handed the weapon back. Naruto's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates and he had a sudden urge to rip that tongue out and bury it under a big rock.

"Why thank you," said Anko calmly, though Naruto could tell she was pretty tense. "But you know, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that unless you want to die. And I wouldn't be the one to kill you, this little guy could rip me apart if I let him and he's very protective of his friends," here Anko ruffled Naruto's head again. Naruto grinned and sheathed his sword. His instincts however were telling him to get away from the Grass shinobi. Feeling something on his cheek, Naruto realized Anko's kunai gave him a tiny scratch.

"Sorry, I just get excited when I see red blood. Plus, you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it," said the grass nin.

Haku glanced at Anko and the Grass nin, 'Both of these people smell like blood, and I don't have the same sense of smell as Naruto or Akemi. But Anko-san smells nice and friendly, that snake guy smells almost like me,' she thought.

"Looks like we have some bloodthirsty ones in this test. This should be interesting," said Anko with a smile.

'You're the blood thirsty ones,' thought Naruto as he rubbed his cheek.

"Okay, before we start there's something I have to pass out to everyone," said Anko as she held up a bunch of papers. "You must sign these agreement forms." Seeing everyone's confused looks, Anko smiled just like Kakashi did and said, "There will be deaths in this one, and if I don't get you guys to sign these, it will be my responsibility." Everyone stared at Anko with looks that clearly asked, 'Are you insane?'.

"I'm going to explain the second test, then you guys can sign these and check in at that booth behind me," said Anko as she handed Naruto the stack of forms. The blond shinobi took one and passed on the rest. Anko then held up a scroll that showed a small map of the Forest of Death. "Basically you will all attempt the ultimate survival. Around practice area forty four are exactly that number of locked gates. The Forest of Death is a perfect circle with a river flowing through it and a large tower in the center. The distance from each of the gates to the tower is about fifth teen kilometers. During the test in the forest, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a no hold, no rules, scroll battle!"

Anko held up two scrolls. One was white and had the kanji for heaven on it while the other was black and had the kanji for earth on it. "You will be fighting for these two scrolls, the heaven and earth. There are seventy eight people here, meaning twenty six teams. Half of the teams will get the heaven scroll, and the other thirteen will get the earth scroll. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

"So thirteen teams will lose their scrolls, half of the teams will definitely lose," said Sakura.

Anko chuckled and said, "But there's a time limit. This test will take five days."

"Five days? What about dinner?" yelled Chouji.

"You're on your own. The forest is full of food. Just watch out for the man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants. And thirteen teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther, and the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course."

"Heh, I don't think we'll have any trouble, right Sasuke?" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke smirked and nodded. One of the basics of training in Konoha was forest warfare and how to survive in the forest. Naruto's kitsune abilities made him an excellent hunter and tracker, while Sasuke could use a kunai to kill a dear from fifty yards. Hinata was an excellent cook and knew which plants were deadly and which could be used for medicine or flavoring of food. Together the three of them would have no problem getting enough food and with Gishou catching the odd rabbits they would probably have more than enough.

Anko raised one hand and smiled at Naruto's optimism as she said, "Now I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First those who don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, within the time limit. Second, those who lose a team mate or those who have a team mate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for the full five days. The third and most important rule is that you must never look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if we do open them?" asked Sasuke.

The expression on Anko's face turned sadistic as she said, "That will be a surprise for anyone who does. A Chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your loyalty and trustworthiness. That is it for explanations. Exchange your team's three forms for your scroll, then choose a gate to get ready for the start. A final word of advice, don't die."

Each team split off from the main group and discussed the situation between them selves. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were frequently wished good luck by many other Konoha genin. The Rookie Nine gathered together and vowed to meet up at the end of the exam in the tower. One of the Chunin manning the scroll booth pulled a curtain up to cover the inside of the booth and said, "It's time to exchange for the scrolls."

Sasuke glared at the Suna team as he watched them enter the booth. 'I see, so you can't tell which team has which scroll or who on the team is carrying the scroll. It's as Ibiki said, in this test we will risk our lives fighting for information. Everyone here is an enemy and determined. There will be killing,' he thought.

'Hehehehe, looks like they understand the meaning of signing those forms,' thought Anko. She was interested in seeing how the rookie teams did, especially Naruto's team. 'Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hyuga. Those three are said to be the best team of the year and all the rookie teams are said have the capacity to become some of the greatest shinobi we've seen since the Legendary Three trained by old man Sarutobi or Kakashi's team. Speaking of which, I wonder if Rin has managed to convince Kakashi to stop reading his books in public yet? That masked idiot still doesn't get the fact that Rin likes him no matter how many times she softens his thick skull with her bokken.' Many of the teams had filled out their forms and were already waiting at their chosen gates.

(0o0o0)

(With Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura, and Shino at gate sixteen)

"Hmph, we'll have an advantage with Akamaru and me sniffing out our opponents and Shino using all the bugs throughout the forest to track our target!" yelled Kiba.

"Yeah, then I'll use Genjutsu to disorient them while you three slip in and get the scroll!" said Sakura as she punched the air.

"…" Shino said nothing as usual, but Kiba and Sakura nodded as if he had.

(0o0o0)

(With Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino at gate twenty seven)

"Risking our lives sucks, but I guess we'll have to do this, how troublesome," sighed Shikamaru.

"Let's go after Forehead girl's team, there's no way we can beat Sasuke and Naruto," said Ino.

"I don't know, Kiba and Shino are pretty good to, and Kurenai is a Genjutsu specialist, which is the area Sakura is best at. Chances are she'll have a Genjutsu so good we won't even know it hit us until it is to late," said Shikamaru.

"Munch, maybe we crunch could work chomp work with munch another team?" asked Chouji as he shoveled chips into his mouth rapidly.

(0o0o0)

(With Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata at gate twelve)

"So, do we rush ahead and ambush another team or do we sneak around and secure a base first?" asked Hinata.

"I say find a base, if we get split up we'll have a point to regroup from," said Sasuke.

"Whatever, we'll be keeping our ears and noses peeled for enemies regardless, right Gishou?" asked Naruto. Gishou yipped to show his agreement, causing all three human members of Team Seven to laugh. Naruto's face turned serious as he said, "I have to warn you guys, I've been picking up two very strong chakra scents. One is from that Gaara kid and the other was that Grass nin with the freaky tongue. They both have a higher chakra level than your average genin, most likely bigger than yours Sasuke. I couldn't be sure with all the scents in the room for the first test, but now I am. There is a good chance both of those guys could kill us easily." Sasuke and Hinata nodded, their faces slightly pale, Naruto was never this pessimistic unless he was dead serious.

(0o0o0)

(With Aki, Haku, and Akemi at gate 10)

"I'm glad Naruto-ni-san gave us those scroll tags, I'm not sure I can hunt enough food for the three of us," said Akemi.

"Hey, I think I know enough about hunting to help. Plus, I'm the medic nin when Rin-sensei is away and have a good knowledge herbs and foraging," said Haku as she lightly bonked her sister on the head.

Aki sighed and rubbed her head before saying, "Can you two act serious for a moment? If we don't have a strategy going in there we're going to be in trouble. I don't want to run into that Gaara guy or that Grass nin that Anko-san was talking to if we can avoid it. I suggest we team up with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata as soon as possible. Together, our two teams are almost unbeatable."

(0o0o0)

After all the teams were at their gates, Anko glanced at her watch and waited for the second hand to reach the twelve. "The second test of the Chunin Exam begins NOW!" yelled Anko. All the gates burst open as the genin charged into the forest.

**Well, that's it for this chapter. Sorry this wasn't as long as previous ones, I hope to make the next one longer. I'm pretty sure the part taking place in the forest of death will take at least 2 tails to tell. Enjoy, read and review!**


	10. Tail 9: Forest of Death

**Roar of the Dragon: This was a very enjoyable chapter to write and I hope everyone enjoys it. This has the most battles so far, so you'll have to excuse me if the rest of the chapters seem lacking in huge fights. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews, give me feedback on what was well done or badly so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

_Special thanks to xAkix for being my beta for this chapter._

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses_

_RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: Aki isn't sure, in fact, the only team whose scroll I know for sure at the start of this chapter is Team 7's. Aki just knows that their two teams work together well and they can take out other teams quickly to ensure they all pass._

_Gatomon666: I'm honored that you think so highly of my story. Word of advice, don't read Trials of Kimiko, it isn't done and I'm going to be giving it a big rehaul after this story is done._

_Crazyhanyoued: Glad to hear from you after so long, I hope you will enjoy this story even though I'm not pairing Sasuke with Sakura. Why? Because I find myself annoyed by her at the start of the series._

_Tombadgerlock: Naruto has sharper senses than Kiba, so he can smell chakra, at least within a certain distance or if the wind is blowing the scent towards him. Naruto has all the chakra he needs, but his problem is control and using it correctly._

_Ranma Hibiki: Yeah, the exam is pretty easy for all the rookie genin and their friends._

_Dragon and Sword Master: I'm honored you think it was better than in the manga. Care to tell me what things made it better so I can improve future chapters?_

_Story Weaver1: You got to remember, Ken assigned many Chunin the duty of watching Naruto for the day so Kyuubi didn't have to worry about him. So it makes sense that Naruto isn't fazed a bit by Ibiki._

_Joecool4: You'll see about the curse seal in this tail, but your predictions for the number for the prelims sounds about right, though I'm not 100 percent sure about the numbers since I'm changing all the fights from the ones in the manga._

_xAkix: Glad you liked the chapter and disclaimer. I hope this next chapter is just as awesome._

_Scorpio V1.2: Hanyou means half demon. Basically having one human parent, Ken, and one demon parent, Kyuubi, means Naruto is a hanyou. I'm glad my update speed impresses you, I try to get to work on each chapter as quick as I can and usually have the next chapter started by the time I update._

_Aloi-chan: Glad you liked it, Sasuke gets the curse seal this chapter, but it will effect him differently than in the manga._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

**_Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String._**

Outside the forest, Anko grinned as she heard a scream. "Sounds like it started," she said. The special Jounin sighed and sat down on a nearby rock to read Icha Icha Violence, a more action packed work of Jiraiya's. While Anko didn't like the old pervert's habits, this particular book was packed with intense fights and drama in between the sex segments.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto-kun, that was a human scream, right?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah, but not anyone we know. I've heard everyone but Shino scream at one of my pranks or jokes at some point, so I know it wasn't one of them. Now, lets use those scroll tags I gave you yesterday!"

(0o0o0)

Throughout the forest, fifth teen tags were smeared with some blood and fifth teen back packs appeared in front of their owners.

(0o0o0)

"Excellent, this will give us an edge over the other teams who don't have supplies," said Sasuke as he took an inventory of the team's combined supplies. They had enough food for four days and Naruto and Gishou could supplement their supplies easily. Sasuke grabbed two of his Fuuma Shuriken and placed it one each on the special holder on he had designed for his arms guards. Folded up, the giant shurikens looked like wrist blades and could be snapped open to block a large number of projectiles. (Think how Ryu carries his windmill shuriken in Ninja Gaiden for Xbox). Naruto and Hinata had their weapons ready, so the group set off into the forest.

After half an hour of jumping from tree branch to tree branch, Naruto signaled for a stop. "Sorry guys, but I've got to take a pit stop," he said with a blush. Sasuke grunted, grabbing a kunai in case they were attacked. Gishou hopped to Hinata's arms while Naruto disappeared behind some trees.

"Aren't you going to try to watch?" asked Gishou as he looked at Hinata. The kitsune suddenly found a kunai at his throat and Hinata glaring at him. "Shutting up now!"

"Ah, that's much better," said Naruto as he stepped out of the trees. Sasuke glanced at Hinata and smirked before rapidly forming hand seals. "Sexy no Jutsu!" yelled Sasuke. A cloud of smoke obscured the boy from sight and when it cleared it revealed a girl with long black hair standing next to Hinata. Naruto's face turned red before he suffered a massive nosebleed and shot into the air. The blond crashed into a tree in a cloud of smoke and a shinobi from Hidden Rain hit the ground. Sasuke immediately resumed his normal form.

"How did you know?" muttered the genin.

"Your shuriken holster is on your left side and Naruto is right handed. You're also missing the scar Anko gave Naruto before this exam started. The biggest reason is you fell for Naruto's own technique. It only works on him if the user assumes Hinata's form. (AN: The reason Sasuke knows this? He came up with the revised version to get Naruto back for developing the 'stupid' jutsu and testing it on him).

The rain shinobi hopped up and said, "Unlucky, you figured it out, oh well! Now, which one of you has the scroll?" When neither Hinata nor Sasuke answered, the shinobi charged the two of them.

Sasuke leapt into the air and formed rapid hand seals before yelling, "Katon: Housenka (Mythical Fire Flower) no jutsu!" and sending a large number of fireballs at the Rain shinobi, who barely managed to dodge the assault. The Rain nin leapt into the tree branches and turned to find himself face to face with Naruto.

"Heh, my turn!" growled Naruto before his firsts were covered in fox fire and he used a spinning uppercut that hit the Rain nin three times and propelled him higher into the air before Naruto appeared above him for a double handed blow to the head that sent the rain nin plummeting to the ground head first. Naruto immediately surrounded himself in fire before he grabbed his opponent with his arms and tails and started spinning with him as they descended to the ground. "Ranran Inseki (Flaming Meteor) Rendan!" yelled Naruto just before he slammed the Rain nin's head into the ground and leapt up away from the impact site (Think Ken from Street fighter's Shinryuken followed by something similar to Lee's initial lotus without bandages). Naruto surveyed his handiwork with a grin before walking up to his team mates. "Nice job Sasuke, but I have to ask, why are you using my 'useless and pathetic' perverted jutsu?" asked Naruto. Hinata rolled her eyes and searched the Rain shinobi's body with her Byakugan for his scroll. Unfortuneatly, he didn't have it. So she tapped a few Tenketsu to keep him knocked out for six days and stuffed him into a convenient hole under a nearby tree that Gishou helped her enlarge to hold it's new resident. Gishou then used a simple Doton jutsu to raise a wall of earth over the opening and Hinata wrote 'here lies an idiot' and the date he would awaken on the wall with her kunai.

Sasuke smirked and replied, "I use that jutsu to ditch my fan girls, they haven't figured out that the girl who keeps telling them which way I went was me in disguise. I should be asking you how this piece of trash managed to get the drop on you?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I had my pants down and he smelled like water, not something uncommon in the forest. It's kind of hard to dodge an attack when your pants trip you and then he tied me up. You know what happened from there."

"Yeah, but this could easily happen again," said Sasuke.

Naruto nodded, and gestured for his friends to huddle up. "Okay, if we get separated again we need a signal so we know who is a friend and who is a foe." While Naruto was talking, he used his finger to write 'There's someone spying on us underground' "The code word will be the shinobi song, 'Nin Machine'. When asked for the password, answer with," here Naruto wrote Ichiraku in the dirt, "A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared. Understood?" Both Sasuke and Hinata nodded, though the sweat drops on the backs of their heads suggested that Ichiraku was obvious for Naruto.

"I'll hold the scroll," said Hinata as she slipped the heaven scroll they received into an inside pocket of her jacket that could be very hard to find. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded, it was more likely that they would get attacked first by a surprise attack and that would leave Hinata free to guard the scroll.

Naruto and Gishou suddenly stiffened and spun around to look behind the group just before a huge wind swept towards Team Seven. "More enemies?" yelled Sasuke. Before anyone could reply, Gishou was torn from Hinata's arms and swept into the air. The three genin braced themselves with chakra in their feet. The wind simply increased and Naruto felt himself being torn from the ground.

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke. The kitsune hanyou tried to grab a branch with his tails and arms, only to have it torn from his grasp. The last Sasuke and Hinata saw of Naruto was his worried expression as he cleared the top of the trees and vanished from their sight. Hinata was next, though she wasn't taken so high and vanished into the trees around. Finally Sasuke was torn from his grip of the ground and flew through a few clearings before he slammed into a tree. The Uchiha boy swiftly recovered and hid himself under a nearby bush.

'Dammit, that was a strong wind attack, either it's someone from Hidden Sand or they're really strong,' thought Sasuke. 'I wonder where Hinata and Naruto are?'

(0o0o0)

Hinata groaned and rubbed her head. "Stupid wind jutsu, I'm going to Jyuken the ass of whoever did that!" growled the girl. Hinata blinked and groaned. "Now I know I've hurt my head, I'm starting to sound like Naruto-kun. Let's see, where is Sasuke or Naruto-kun?" A quick scan with her Byakugan allowed Hinata to locate Sasuke. Naruto was apparently farther away than she could see and Hinata could only hope her boyfriend was okay. Hinata leapt from branch to branch, quickly making her way back towards Sasuke. As the Hyuga girl entered the clearing Sasuke was hidden in, the Uchiha boy rolled out from under his bush and to his feet, a kunai gripped in his hand.

"Hinata," he said.

"Sasuke, I'm glad you weren't hurt by that huge gust," said Hinata. As she started to walk towards Sasuke to check him for injuries, Sasuke raised his kunai and said, "Stay away, first the code word. Shinobi song 'Nin Machine'."

"Right," said Hinata as she nodded before saying, "A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared. Now come on, I swear I was blown high enough to see the Ichiraku ramen stand!" Sasuke grinned and nodded, then whirled to face Naruto as he stumbled out of the trees.

"Oww, you two all right?" he asked as he rubbed his abused bottom.

"Hold on Naruto, first the code word!" said Sasuke.

"Yeah yeah, a large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared. Are you happy now?" he said.

Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other and nodded. Naruto grinned and walked towards them. As soon as he was close enough, Sasuke and Hinata charged Naruto and slammed their fists into his face. Naruto landed hard on his back and stared up at his team mates. "What did you do that for?" he demanded.

"Give it up, you're not Naruto-kun," said Hinata. "He knew you were listening to us earlier and made two passwords that we had to say before we stopped talking. You only said one of them."

"Besides, Naruto would always be all over Hinata and asking if she was all right as soon as he saw her. You're better than the last idiot to try this stunt, but you don't know us well enough to fake being Naruto," said Sasuke.

"Kukukukukuku, impressive, you figured it out. But then you two are the heirs of the strongest clans in Konoha," said the Fake Naruto before a cloud of smoke hid him from view. When the smoke dispersed, Hinata and Sasuke were facing the long tongued Grass shinobi. "This will be more fun than I thought," said the man as he removed his straw hat.

(0o0o0)

"I'm going to kill the bastard that caused this!" yelled Naruto as he plummeted towards the ground. The kitsune boy was annoyed. First he was separated from his team, then he got sent above the trees, and now he was falling down to earth. "This just isn't my day," said Naruto. "Lets see, how to land without being killed…" Naruto gathered a huge amount of foxfire in his hands and aimed at the ground. "I hope this works or Oka-san will have to come and drag me back from the afterlife and Sasuke and Hinata-chan wouldn't be able to advance in the exam. Well, here goes nothing! FOXFIRE!" Naruto shot all the foxfire he could down towards the ground. The heat was incredible and the huge amount of chakra he emitted caused all the genin in the forest to look up in fear as they saw the pillar of blue flame descending to earth.

Naruto's descent gradually slowed to the point where he was able to risk using chakra to run down a tree trunk as he neared the ground. Naruto grinned as he slowed even more, gradually settling into an easy walk before jumping off the tree and landing on the ground as if he just stepped out of bed. "Man, I need a chakra boost," said Naruto as he grabbed on of the energy drinks he had packed in his back pack and chugged it. "Ahh, now to kick the ass of whoever blasted us with that wind attack!" Naruto sniffed the air and caught Sasuke and Hinata's scents. "Perfect, I should be there in twenty minutes," said Naruto as he started running towards his team mates.

Just before Naruto could exit the clearing, his ears twitched and he barely leapt back in time to avoid being crushed beneath a giant snake. "Hey scaly, get out of my way! I don't have time to waste on you!" The snake hissed and lunged toward with its mouth open, aiming to swallow Naruto. "Okay, now I'm mad! No one tries to eat me and gets away with it!" growled Naruto as he drew Nenshousaiga and leapt over the snake. However, the snake's tail suddenly whipped up and smashed him into the ground. "Oww, note to self: Snakes can use their tails like whips," groaned Naruto before he looked up and saw the snake's jaws descending on him. The jaws clamped shut and Naruto was trapped inside the giant snake. "Argh, you stupid reptile, spit me out now!" growled Naruto as he used his claws on the thing that hangs down at the back of the throat. The snake's response was to swallow and Naruto soon found himself being squeezed by the snake's throat muscles. "Crapity crap crap! I'm not dieing like this, I'm a shinobi who has to become Hokage! I can't be turned into shit in a place like this! Time for a bad case of heartburn!" growled Naruto before he sent a blast of foxfire down the snake's throat. The muscles loosened a little from the heat, just enough to give Naruto room to swing his sword. "Ranran Kitsune Senpuu (Flaming Fox Whirlwind)!" yelled Naruto as the sword was engulfed in fire and he spun rapidly. The hot sword sliced through the snake's throat easily and Naruto grimaced as he was covered in the snake's blood. "Heh, I knew trying to duplicate Hinata-chan's Kaiten was a good idea, to bad I can't release chakra as well as she can. One more time, Ranran Kitsune Senpuu!" This time the attack completely severed the snake's head from its body. Naruto leapt out of the opening he caused and glared at the snake. "Time to fry, Kaen-giri (flame slash)!" yelled Naruto. The wave of foxfire hit the snake right between the eyes and the whole thing disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 'Crap, a summoned creature, which means Hinata-chan and Sasuke are in trouble! There's only one person I know who has signed the snake contract that would use it to attack us, and if he's here, we're all in big trouble!'

(0o0o0)

'Where is Naruto-kun? He should have gotten back by now, especially since the breeze is blowing in the direction the wind tossed him. This guy is just creepy,' thought Hinata.

The long tongued man held out an earth scroll as he said, "You want my earth scroll, right? Since you guys have the heaven scroll." Before Hinata or Sasuke could say anything, the man took the scroll and swallowed it! Hinata immediately felt like throwing up, while Sasuke's face paled. "Now let's begin the battle for each other's scroll," said the Grass shinobi as he reached up to his face before he pulled his skin down to reveal a yellow snake eye. "With our lives on the line!" Sasuke and Hinata both felt enormous killing intent, worse than when they first met Zabuza, pounding on them as their deaths shot through their minds.

Hinata gasped and fell to her knees, she could have sworn a kunai went through her fore head, but something was off. Sasuke had also taken a kunai in the same spot, but he was kneeling beside her staring at their opponent. 'This is Genjutsu. I hope I can break it!' Straining against the paralyzing fear she felt, Hinata managed to form the Tiger seal.

'Genjutsu?' thought Sasuke before he collapsed to his knees and threw up. 'No, this is just fear, the killing intent in his eyes is causing us to see an image of death. Who is this guy?'

"KAI!" yelled Hinata. Instantly, Hinata regained control of her body. Sasuke could only stare in amazement as Hinata stood up and glared at the Grass shinobi with her Byakugan.

"Impressive, I didn't think it was possible for a mere genin to shrug off my killing intent," said the man.

With a massive effort, Sasuke managed to stand up. Both Hinata and the Grass shinobi stared at him in surprise. "Impossible, your little friend didn't dispel the Genjutsu for you!" exclaimed the Grass shinobi.

"Oh, it's still affecting me but this is nothing compared to Kyuubi-oka-san's death glare!" gasped the boy. Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his holster and swiftly stabbed himself in the arm, making sure the wound wasn't enough to disable the use of the limb. Focusing on the pain, Sasuke was able to throw off the effects of the paralysis and shut his eyes. When he opened them, two Sharingan stared at the Grass shinobi. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the man throw two daggers at them. Sasuke tackled Hinata to the ground and they both rolled away to avoid the projectiles. Sasuke grabbed Hinata and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

'Injuring his own body to erase the feeling of fear and pain, hehe, as I thought he's no ordinary prey. And that girl is indeed strong, to dispel my Kanashibari (Body freeze) no Jutsu. It looks like there is more worthy prey here than I first assumed,' thought the grass shinobi as he stared at the blood Sasuke had shed.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke and Hinata were hidden in a tree a short distance away, both ready for an attack. "Sasuke, are you all right?" asked Hinata.

Sasuke nodded, looking back in the direction they had come from for signs of pursuit. The Uchiha boy was nervous, but he was doing his best to calm down. Sasuke's ear caught a rustling sound above them and both shinobi looked up to see a giant snake slithering towards them. Sasuke's eyes widened and the two genin leapt back. Sasuke grabbed and threw both of the Fuuma Shuriken resting on his arms, glad he had thought to put some of the blood from his arm wound on the blades when he had a moment. With a cry of "Tenka!" the shurikens were surrounded by flames and easily sliced off the head of the snake. Hinata hurled a handful of kunai at the monster and pinned its body to the tree it had been climbing on.

Sasuke and Hinata both breathed a sigh of relief until a part of the snake's neck started to rise. Both genin watched in horror as the snake's skin split and the Grass shinobi rose out of the carcass. "You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always be trying their best to run away, in the presence of a predator, that is," said the Grass shinobi. The man's body suddenly seemed to become like a snake's as he slithered up the tree towards Sasuke.

Before he could reach his goal, a voice yelled, "Ichiraku special: Hot and karai (Hot and spicy)!" and a giant fire ball hit the tree in front of him. All three people looked up to see Naruto standing on a branch behind them and above the snake man. "I was hoping I was wrong, but there's no mistake now, only one person has signed the snake contract and moves like that, eh Orochimaru?" growled Naruto as he hurled a bunch of shuriken at the snake man. The man wove in between the shuriken easily.

"Naruto-kun, how good to see you. I still owe your father for taking the position that should have been mine! It looks like you beat my giant snake easily," growled Orochimaru.

"Heh, like that giant snake could beat me. It did swallow me, but I gave it a bad case of heartburn. Sasuke, Hinata, you two get out of here! I'll hold him off!" said Naruto.

"I see, very smart. The only way for prey to escape a predator is to give the predator a different meal," said Orochimaru. "Unfortunately, I can kill you now and take Sasuke-kun easily." Orochimaru lifted the sleeve of his left arm to reveal a strange tattoo that looked like a snake wrapped around his arms. Orochimaru bit his thumb and slid the bleeding finger down the tattoo. Realizing what was about to happen, Naruto grabbed Nenshousaiga and whipped it out as he charged Orochimaru, only to hear "Kuchiyose (summoning) no Jutsu!" and find his target obscured in a cloud of smoke. Naruto jumped aside as a second giant snake head shot out of the smoke, barely missing some of his tails. Once again, a snake tail smashed into Naruto, this time sending him back first into a thick branch above him and causing him to drop his sword as he screamed in pain.

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke and Hinata in horror.

Naruto started to fall down, temporarily stunned, as Sasuke and Hinata stood frozen in horror. "Hehe, go ahead and eat him," said Orochimaru as his snake's tongue moved towards the boy. The snake was just about to wrap the falling boy in its tongue when Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"Eat Shit! Kasei tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" roared Naruto as he slashed the tongue to pieces with a swipe of his claws as they were surrounded by blue flame. The snake let out a loud hiss of pain, while Sasuke and Hinata could see Naruto's eyes were two blue slits.

"Hmph, stubborn little hanyou, you don't know when to give up," said Orochimaru before he used some sort of wind jutsu to blow Naruto into another tree back first. 'He's more powerful than I imagined, but even he will be out for a few minutes from that blow,' thought Orochimaru. None of the three people watching Naruto noticed his Hitai-ate get stuck on a small branch and get pulled off his head. 'Hehehe, this is getting fun!' thought Orochimaru before he turned to Sasuke and said, "Sasuke-kun, now it's your turn! What will you do?" The giant snake rushed towards Sasuke, who grabbed a fuuma shuriken and prepared to defend himself. The snake suddenly screeched to a stop as Naruto appeared in front of it facing Sasuke with his head down so his bangs overshadowed his eyes. Naruto had two kunai in his hands, both of which were jabbed into the snake's upper mouth.

"Hey, you alright, Sasuke?" asked Naruto as he raised his head and revealed his eyes. Sasuke's blood ran cold, Naruto's eyes were still slited like a fox or cat's, but now they were a bright red. Sasuke could feel a huge amount of chakra pouring out of Naruto, but this chakra felt evil.

'His kitsune blood has taken over, if I make a wrong move Naruto will lose control and attack me, leaving this snake bastard to go after Hinata. This isn't good,' thought Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

Outside the forest, Anko was enjoying a stick of Dango and juice as she sat on top of the booth where the scrolls had been distributed. "Yum, nothing like dango and juice. Once I'm done I'd better make my way to the tower, the fast ones should only need about twenty four hours." Anko slid the last ball of Dango off the stick and into her mouth before throwing the stick towards a nearby tree trunk. The stick hit the tree and finished the stem of a Konoha leaf. "Leaf mark complete!" said Anko with a grin.

Suddenly, one of the Chunin proctors appeared in front of the booth and said, "Anko-san, big trouble!"

"What's this?" asked Anko.

"Bodies, three of them," said the Chunin.

"Bodies?" asked Anko. She supposed some of the genin might have gotten cold feet and tried to scale the fence out of the forest, but the Chunin looked too worried for that.

"They're dead, but they don't look normal, please come!" said the Chunin. The man led Anko to where the two proctors who had placed the Genjutsu on room 201, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, were waiting.

Kotetsu was the first to speak, saying, "After examining their papers and personal items, they seem to be the Kusa (Hidden Grass) shinobi entered in this exam but as you can see, they have no faces. They are blank, as if they were melted off." Anko stiffened at this, her eyes widening as she looked the bodies over.

'There's no mistaking it, this is his jutsu. Why is he here now?' "Show me the pictures of these three!" yelled Anko. As soon as she was handed the pictures, Anko's face grew even paler as she saw the picture of the long haired grass nin who had returned her kunai with his long tongue. 'He stole this face, so at that time, he already…' "This is bad! You guys go and report this to Hokage-sama! Send some ANBU captains into the Forest of Death! I'm going after the imposters right now!" The three Chunin saluted and disappeared as they dashed towards Ken's office. Anko turned and jumped the fence into the Forest of Death.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke's staring match with Naruto was interrupted as Orochimaru's tongue grabbed the fox boy and lifted him up in front of the snake man. "Ugh, let me go you bastard!" yelled Naruto as he struggled to get loose, only to find the tongue wouldn't let him go.

"Heh, you're a troublesome little brat. I can't have you messing up my plans, so this will have to do for now," said Orochimaru as he pulled an ofuda (holy talisman) from inside his clothes. "Interesting, when your emotions get out of control you become almost a pure youkai. I brought this for your mother, but it should work just fine on you." Orochimaru slapped the talisman onto Naruto's chest. The fox boy instantly started screaming in pain. Hinata gasped as Naruto's fox ears and tails started disappearing and he became a normal boy. Naruto's eyes returned to their normal shape and color before he fainted and was out cold. On his belly, the kanji for seal appeared like a tattoo as the talisman sank into Naruto's skin.

Orochimaru grinned and tossed Naruto away. Hinata quickly threw a kunai, pinning Naruto to a tree so he didn't fall to the forest floor. Sasuke spared Naruto one glance before glaring at Orochimaru with blazing Sharingan eyes. 'Hehe, the blood of the Uchiha clan is beginning to boil,' thought Orochimaru. 'I'll take my time and test your ability.' The snake user dismissed his summoned snake in a cloud of smoke as Sasuke reached into his supply pouch.

'I let my fear control me and almost cost Hinata her life. I must survive in order to kill my brother, but I won't run away.' Sasuke held four kunai in his right hand, one kunai in his mouth, and a larger than normal shuriken shaped like a solid fuuma shuriken. The Uchiha boy leapt into the air and hurled the four kunai at Orochimaru, who darted around the projectiles like a snake. Sasuke grabbed a nearby tree to stop his movement. 'I can see him!' he thought as the comma marks spun around. Sasuke hurled the large shuriken at Orochimaru, who jumped over it. Sasuke swung around so his back was to the tree and grabbed the kunai in his mouth and sent chakra into it before throwing it towards Orochimaru. The snake man dodged the obvious attack, but was inwardly impressed.

'Not bad, he's reading my movements and going for a critical hit. So he can see me,' thought Orochimaru.

Sasuke clamped his teeth down on a string and braced his arms against the tree. The large shuriken behind Orochimaru suddenly halted in mid air as the string through the center hole stopped it from moving.

'String?' asked Orochimaru mentally as he saw the string connected to the kunai was looped around the tree behind Sasuke and curved around behind him before ending at the bit Sasuke had clenched in his mouth. Orochimaru looked behind himself to see the large shuriken heading back towards him. "This is Sofuushasen no Tachi (Windmill Triple Blade)!" The large shuriken shot towards Orochimaru, but the impact was blocked from view because he had the back of his head facing Sasuke and Hinata.

Hinata let out a gasp as Orochimaru turned around, revealing he had caught the shuriken in his mouth. 'To read all the places I could run and attack from where I can't see,' thought the snake summoner before chuckling. "Hehe, too bad," he said.

"Heh," grunted Sasuke as he formed the tiger seal with the string from his mouth held between the two upright fingers. 'Katon: Ryuuka (Dragon Fire) no jutsu!' A stream of fire shot along the string at set Orochimaru's face and head on fire. Both Sasuke and Hinata stared, hoping the fight was finally over.

"To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age, you truly are the man that carries the Uchiha blood," said Orochimaru, his head facing the ground. The snake man raised his head, revealing that part of his face appeared to be melted off, allowing them to see a second skin beneath it. Sasuke and Hinata gasped as they saw the same yellow snake eye from earlier staring at them. "Just as I thought, I want you," he.

Hinata leapt beside Sasuke, assuming the Jyuken stance in preparation for an attack. "I had fun testing your powers," said Orochimaru as he placed his hand on the Hidden Grass symbol on his Hitai-ate. Sasuke and Hinata suddenly found themselves paralyzed again. "Heh, you really are brothers," said Orochimaru, and both Konoha genin now saw his Hitai-ate bore the emblem of Hidden Sound. "I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Sasuke.

"My name is Orochimaru, if you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam," said Orochimaru. "Of course, you'll have to defeat my men, the Oto shinobi trio on the way."

"What are you talking about?" growled Hinata, "We'd never want to see your face again!"

"Hehe, perhaps not, but wishing won't chase me away," said Orochimaru as he made a seal. Orochimaru's neck suddenly stretched and became long and flexible as his head shot towards the two Konoha genin with his mouth wide open. At that moment, Hinata grinned.

"Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata. The heavenly spin smacked into Orochimaru's head, sending it crashing into a tree on the far side of the clearing. "I defeated your Genjutsu once before, and I'll do it again!" exclaimed Hinata.

"So the Hyuga Heiress has some fight left in her? This will be fun," said the snake senin. The snake man retracted his neck to its normal size and started a series of hand seals. Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized the sequence and he frantically make his own seals.

"Katon Karyuu Endan (Fire Type: Fire Dragon Flame Blast)!" yelled Orochimaru before ending with the tiger seal and sending a dragon of fire towards Sasuke and Hinata.

Hinata gasped and thanked all the kami who might be listening that she had mastered some basic suiton jutsu as she formed rapid seals before yelling, "Suiton: Geyser!" The tree branch a foot in front of Hinata bulged upwards before a huge geyser burst through the wood.

"That isn't enough to save you!" cackled Orochimaru.

'Please let this work!' Sasuke prayed before finishing the seals he had seen Haku use on one of their joint team missions to destroy a boat of fleeing bandits. "Suiton Suiryuudan (Water Type: Water Dragon Blast) no jutsu!" yelled Sasuke. The top of Hinata's geyser suddenly arched down to meet Orochimaru's dragon of fire in the form of the water dragon Sasuke had seen Zabuza and Kakashi use so long ago. The two dragons crashed together and a cloud of steam filled the clearing.

Orochimaru released a burst of chakra that cleared the area around him, only to feel Hinata's open palm hit him in the chest. Now, not even a Kage can simply shrug off a well aimed blow from the Jyuken, and Hinata's had been a direct hit on Orochimaru's heart. The snake man staggered and slouched over as he coughed up blood. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a gasp of horror as Orochimaru turned into a cloud of smoke. 'Kage Bushin, that means…' "Sasuke!" screamed Hinata. The Uchiha boy had collapsed after pumping all his chakra into the water dragon and wasn't able to dodge Orochimaru's head as he sank his fangs into Sasuke's left shoulder.

Orochimaru retracted his head back to his body. "Sasuke-kun will seek me, to seek power," said Orochimaru.

On the back of Sasuke's left shoulder, right beside the two puncture wounds caused by Orochimaru's teeth, a mark appeared consisting of thee commas forming a triangle with curved corners pointing in the same direction. Sasuke suddenly gasped. "What's this pain?" the Uchiha boy demanded as his body started shaking.

Hinata whirled to face Orochimaru and yelled, "What did you do to Sasuke?"

Orochimaru sank into the tree branch he was standing on as he said, "I gave him a going away present," before disappearing.

"Aaarrgghh!" screamed Sasuke as he clutched his shoulder in pain.

"Sasuke!" gasped Hinata as she reached for her medical pouch. Sasuke let out another scream of pain. "Hang on Sasuke, please," gasped Hinata. The Hyuga girl looked up at Naruto in despair; she would have a hard time getting him down since she would have to wait for Sasuke to calm down. A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby caused Hinata to grab for a kunai and prepare to defend Sasuke and Naruto with her life. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when Gishou ran out of the bushes. "Hold on Gishou, the code word," said Hinata.

Gishou rolled his eyes before saying, "Ichiraku. Now, tell me what happened." Hinata told the kitsune everything that had happened and Gishou began to look troubled. "Damn, this isn't good. Okay, you watch over Sasuke while I go get Naruto's Hitai-ate and Nenshousaiga." Hinata nodded and Gishou darted off into the forest. The Hyuga girl activated her Byakugan and scanned the area for any type of defendable position. Gishou soon arrived with Naruto's things, luckily staying within Hinata's sight the whole time. The kitsune guarded Sasuke while Hinata climbed up the tree and managed to bring Naruto down. Gishou then helped Hinata get the two boys to a small hollow beneath a large tree's roots. There she soaked cloths in water and placed them on each of her team mates' heads. Naruto was completely still; the only sign that he was alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest. Sasuke's breath came in shallow gasps that had Hinata worried.

"Please be alright," whispered Hinata as she set about making traps to surround her chosen haven. Working quickly, Hinata set some obvious traps that would serve to delay any skilled shinobi and would pick off the clumsy and stupid ones. While setting a log trap up in the upper foliage, Hinata found something remarkable. A bird with feathers that made it look like it was a living flame was sitting in a nest panting. Recognizing the bird as a phoenix thanks to a painting Kyuubi had shown her as a little girl, Hinata could not believe her good fortune. Phoenix's tears had potent healing powers and when mixed with any medicine could fight off even the most deadly of diseases. 'If I can get some of its tears, maybe I can heal Sasuke and Naruto-kun,' thought Hinata before she realized the beautiful bird was in pain. Hinata slowly walked towards the phoenix, making sure her arms were visible. As she got closer, Hinata saw the bird's left wing was broken.

"You poor thing," whispered Hinata, causing the phoenix to look up in alarm. The bird tried to get away, but the pain in its wing was too great for it to move. "Honored phoenix, I am but a simple medic. If you will allow me to, I will happily set your wing in exchange for two tears to help my comrades," said Hinata. The bird regarded Hinata for a moment and then nodded. Hinata walked over to the nest and gently ran her fingers along the wing bones. "Ah, a break right here, most likely you were attacked and the wound did not heal properly," said Hinata as she found the spot where the bone was slightly out of alignment. "I'm sorry but this will hurt a bit," said Hinata before she deftly moved the bone back into place. The phoenix gave a short squawk of pain before freezing to allow Hinata to finish her job. Hinata's hands formed a series of seals before glowing green as she said, "Seikotsu (Bone Setting) no jutsu!" Hinata was particularly proud to have mastered this jutsu, which allowed her to set bones with clean breaks easily. She had learned this from Kyuubi when Naruto once shut the door on one of his tails, not one of his greatest moments. Hinata smiled as her Byakugan allowed her to see the bone healing and soon looking like nothing had happened.

The phoenix stared at Hinata before rubbing its head against her cheek. Hinata pulled one of her empty medical cream jars from her supply pouch and bowed to the phoenix. "Honored phoenix, I now humbly ask for two tears to aid my friends," said Hinata as she bowed while presenting the jar to the bird. The phoenix nodded before a small waterfall poured down its cheek and into the jar. Hinata gasped and said, "Honored phoenix, your generosity is overwhelming. I am not worthy of this gift!" The phoenix looked at Hinata and folded its wings before bowing to her. Hinata returned the bow and made sure the cap on the jar was tight before hurrying to finish her log trap so she could treat her patients.

(0o0o0)

Anko ran through the Forest of Death, her thoughts racing ahead of her as she desperately looked for her target. 'It's almost nightfall, I must find him quickly, once it gets totally dark I'll be at a disadvantage. But why is he here? What is his purpose?' Anko leapt from branch to branch, her senses searching for any sign of her target. 'Well, it makes no difference, if you have come back to Konoha then we'll settle the score now. You are now an S-rank nuke-nin, the worst kind of security risk. I must stop you, even if it costs me my life. And if that's not possible, I must slow you down until the ANBU arrive.' Anko landed on a branch and slowly stood up. 'I learned everything from you, I was one of your men and thus,' "That is my job, right Orochimaru?" asked Anko without turning around.

"Impossible," said Orochimaru from his hiding place on the tree behind Anko.

Anko leapt into the air, four throwing knives flicking out of her sleeve and resting between her fingers like claws. Orochimaru leaned his head back as Anko leapt into the air and spun to throw the knives, shot his tongue out at her. The tongue wrapped around Anko's left arm and caused her to drop her knives. Anko landed on the tree branch and quickly grabbed the tongue with both her hands. 'You won't get away, Senai Jashuu (Shadow Snake Hand)!' thought Anko as snake shot out of her sleeves and wrapped themselves along the tongue before biting into it. Anko pulled on the tongue, yanking Orochimaru off the tree trunk and towards her before she swung the tongue and slammed Orochimaru back first into the branch in front of her.

Orochimaru suddenly grinned and used his tongue to rapidly pull himself towards Anko. The special Jounin gasped before Orochimaru rammed into her stomach. Acting quickly, Anko grabbed Orochimaru's right hand and a kunai before flipping Orochimaru and pinning him against the tree trunk behind her. Anko rammed her kunai through her own hand to pin Orochimaru's right hand down and prevent him from using any jutsu. "Got you!" growled Anko as she grinned psychotically at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, could you lend me a hand? The left one?" asked Anko in a voice that dripped honey before she started making a series of one handed seals with her right hand, which had his left hand trapped in her grip.

'This seal…' thought Orochimaru.

"I'm taking you to hell with me!" yelled Anko. 'Souja Sousai (Double Snake Assassination) no…'

"Hehe, planning to commit suicide?" asked Orochimaru's voice from behind Anko. Anko's head whipped around as Orochimaru said, "Kage Bushin." Anko's eyes narrowed as she saw Orochimaru sitting on a tree behind her. The Orochimaru in front of Anko disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the real one said, "You are a special Jounin of this village, you shouldn't be using all of those kinjutsu I taught you," as he reached up to his face and made half the ram seal.

Anko instantly felt pain shoot through her body and she collapsed to her knees. "Why are you here?" she gasped.

Orochimaru ripped off the face he had stolen from the Grass nin and revealed a very different man's face beneath it. "We haven't seen each other in a while, yet you're so cold, Anko."

"Bah, have you come to assassinate Hokage-sama or Sarutobi-sama?" gasped Anko.

"I'm not a fool to take on the Yellow Flash (Ken's nick name before he became Hokage) and the Professor (the nick name of the Third Hokage), I don't have enough men for that yet. I thought I'd recruit some outstanding ones from this village. I just gave a kid one of those curse seals. He's one of the ones I want," said Orochimaru.

Anko clutched at her neck, where the same seal that had appeared on Sasuke had been hidden by her trench coat. "How selfish, the kid's going to die, that seal is a ticking time bomb!"

"The chance of surviving is 1 out of 10, like you, he might not die," said Orochimaru.

"You must really like this kid," said Anko as she gritted her cheeks against the pain she was feeling.

"Jealous, are we?" asked Orochimaru. "Are you still upset that I used you and abandoned you? Unlike you, this one is talented. He carries the Uchiha bloodline. He's very beautiful (Warning, Orochimaru is a gay pedophile!), the perfect vessel to be my successor. If that boy survives, things could get very interesting. Don't even think of stopping this exam, three of my men are taking part, I'm going to enjoy this. If you try to end my enjoyment, it will spell the end of Konoha!" With these words, Orochimaru disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

(0o0o0)

In another clearing, far from Team Seven's current location, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were relaxing slightly. "The sun should be up in less than an hour," said Neji. "We've spent a day gathering provisions to supplement what was in our packs. Most teams are resting, making this the best time to attack and steal their scrolls. Let's split up and spend 20 minutes scouting the area. But, whether you find another team or not, we return here in 30 minutes, got it?" As Neji finished talking he stabbed a kunai into the ground point first.

"Okay," said Tenten.

"Roger!" yelled Lee as he saluted Neji. All three of the genin leapt off in different directions.

(0o0o0)

Back with Team Seven, Gishou kept watch with his ears and nose while Hinata mixed some of the phoenix tears with a fever reducing medicine for Sasuke. The Hyuga girl soaked a cloth in the medicine and squeezed it into Sasuke's mouth before pressing a pressure point that caused him to swallow the medicine. Hinata watched in relief as Sasuke gradually calmed down and his breathing became easier. Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan and examined the boy. "His breathing is returning to normal, but he still has a strong fever. The phoenix tears are helping, but this fever is the result of this strange black chakra that is spreading through Sasuke's inner coil system," Hinata told Gishou before turning to examine Naruto with her Byakugan. "Gishou, something is wrong with Naruto-kun. He normally has a bright red mass of chakra underneath his inner coil system, but it is now very small. I think that talisman sealed up his youki," said Hinata.

Gishou nodded, not taking his attention from keeping watch. "You're probably right. I can barely smell any trace of his kitsune blood. Until we get that talisman removed, Naruto will be stuck with about half his normal strength. Luckily, his chakra is replenishing and some youki is still able to slip around the seal. I think his ears and tails should return after a few days of rest, or at least by the end of this test," he said.

Hinata nodded, her eyes starting to close before they snapped open. 'No, I have to protect them! If I fall asleep they're done for.' She thought.

On the edge of the clearing, three figures peered over the bushes at Team Seven. The sound nin trio had finally found their targets. "Heh heh, there they are!" said Dosu, the one with the bandages, "As Orochi-sama commanded, we attack at daybreak. Our target is Uchiha Sasuke!"

"If the other two get in our way we can kill them, right?" asked the other boy, Zaku.

"Of course," said Dosu.

(0o0o0)

Dawn found a weary Hinata kneeling beside Naruto as she watched both boys. She had gotten a short rest while Gishou kept watch, but the kitsune had worked hard today and needed sleep more than she did and was curled up on top of Naruto's chest to keep him warm in place of his tails, which usually acted as extra insulation when Naruto was sleeping. 'I can't let myself sleep,' she thought as she shook her head and looked up towards the tree tops. The sun shining down told her it was now dawn. A sudden rustle in the bushes across the clearing alerted Hinata and she grabbed a kunai, keeping her back to the noise to hide her actions. Activating her Byakugan, Hinata groaned inside her head when she saw a squirrel eating a nut. She then stiffened as she caught sight of three figures hiding behind the bushes and the exploding note on the squirrel. 'Those bastards, they're going to blow up that innocent little squirrel!' thought Hinata. Hinata grabbed one of Naruto's scroll tags that had some water sealed inside it and wrapped it around the kunai's handle. Hinata turned as the squirrel started hopping towards her and threw the kunai right in front of it. The impact triggered the scroll tag and soaked the squirrel, scaring the little critter off and ruining the explosive tag. 'That was close, how long are those three going to wait before attacking?' thought Hinata. Knowing she needed to rest, Hinata crossed her legs and assumed the lotus position. Neji had taught her this exercise to build up her chakra reserves, and Hinata knew she'd need them. Part of the training was learning how to quickly move from the Lotus position into the Jyuken stance, so Hinata was confident she could be ready to defend her team mates when their stalkers attacked.

"She's very observant, did she notice the explosive note on the squirrel?" asked Zaku.

"No, that's not it," said Dosu.

"What do you mean, Dosu?" asked Zaku.

"We'll probably find out when we get closer," said Dosu, "so, let's go!"

(0o0o0)

Neji darted through the forest, his Byakugan active as he searched for any opponents. With it, he had seen Lee run into Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru and had a quiet laugh as Ino insulted Lee's eyebrows, hair cut, fashion sense, and love for Sakura. Then Lee started yelling about how no one was to insult him for mimicking the awesome Gai-sensei, especially not a dumb blond, a lazy slacker, and a fat kid. Chouji's anger had flared up at being called fat and Lee spent five minutes dodging the plump boy's Meat Tank before getting bored and moving on, leaving team eight feeling very embarrassed. It was nearing the end of the half hour and Neji was getting ready to head back to his team's meeting point when his Byakugan caught Hinata's chakra signature. Taking a good look he saw Naruto and Sasuke lying on the ground with Hinata in the Lotus position in front of them and the three sound shinobi moving towards Team Seven. Neji immediately picked up the pace and headed towards the clearing where Hinata was, he wanted to watch and help her if necessary.

(0o0o0)

Hinata shivered slightly as a chill crept up her spine.

"Heh heh, up all night?" asked a voice in front of Hinata.

The Hyuga girl opened her eyes as she thought, 'Finally, I was starting to think they were cowards.'

"You're off duty now. Wake up Sasuke-kun, we want to fight him," said Dosu.

Hinata stood up and stretched before turning on her 'Hyuga superiority' as Neji called the act she pulled in front of the Hyuga elders. "Sorry, but you're not going to get your fight. You'll have to make do with me until he wakes up on his own," said Hinata.

"Feisty little girl, isn't she? I almost feel sorry for her, taking on all three of us at once," said Kin.

"But hearing that, we can't just walk away. I'll kill this girl and Sasuke. You can skin the foxes Dosu," said Zaku.

Hinata glared at the spiky haired sound shinobi and dropped the Genjutsu covering her eyes to reveal the Byakugan, though she went through the motions of activating it to fool her opponent into thinking she hadn't had it on all night.

"Wait Zaku," said Dosu.

"Huh? Why?" asked Zaku.

Dosu walked forward and knelt down. "You're not very good, a recently overturned stone, different colored dirt, grass were it would never grow," he said as he felt the ground. Hinata froze as Dosu lifted up a part of the ground and continued, "A booby trap is pointless unless it goes unnoticed."

"Pft, stupid," said Zaku.

"So the kunai you threw earlier was to keep the squirrel from springing the trap?" asked Dosu. "Kill her!"

All three sound shinobi leapt into the air, at which point Hinata's face grew a smirk that any Konoha inhabitant knew to fear, the one Naruto bore just before he set off a prank. With a quick flick of Hinata's kunai, a wire was severed and a giant log swung down towards the shinobi in mid-air. Neji grinned, enjoying his cousin's skill at double layered traps.

"Another trap above? No!" exclaimed Dosu. As the log swung closer, the bandaged shinobi slammed his arm with the metal device on it against the log. With a loud BAM, the log exploded before it could hit the three sound shinobi, causing Hinata to gasp. She hadn't thought sound waves could be so powerful. "Frankly speaking, you have very little talent. People like you have to work harder. A weakling like you shouldn't mess with guys like us!" yelled Dosu.

Hinata's surprised face resumed her glare as she assumed the Jyuken stance. "I am Hyuga Hinata, heir of the Hyuga clan! You will pay for threatening my team mates and calling me weak!" she roared as she prepared to do battle.

Suddenly, a white and black blur appeared between Hinata and her attackers while a voice yelled, "Hakke Fuu Tate (Eight Divination Seal Shield)!" To anyone with a Sharingan or Byakugan, they would have seen the divination field that Hinata and Neji used to trap their opponents for the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou appear in mid air and act as a vertical barrier that repelled the Sound shinobi. The three Sound genin bounced off the divination field and landed a short distance from Hinata. The blur turned into Neji as he landed in front of his cousin in the Jyuken stance. "Then you guys should also work harder," he said.

"Who are you?" demanded Dosu.

"The Hyuga genius and protector of the heiress, master of the Jyuken, Hyuga Neji!" said Neji.

"Neji-ni-san, what are you doing here?" asked Hinata, not letting her guard down for a second.

"I saw what was happening and came to see you humiliate these freaks. But after seeing the mummy destroy that log, I decided to jump in," said Neji. "You relax Hinata-san and let your eyes rest, I'll handle the freaks."

"It can't be helped," said Dosu as he held up an earth scroll before tossing it to Zaku. "Zaku, you can have Sasuke-kun. I'll take care of them." The bandaged boy darted towards Neji and Hinata.

'Hinata-san needs a few minutes to relax her eyes from constant use of the Byakugan. I'll buy her that time and then we'll destroy these three impudent fools!' thought Neji as his eyes followed Dosu.

'That long haired kid claims to be a master of the Jyuken, or Gentle Fist. This should be fun,' thought Dosu as he raised his arm to deliver an attack. Hinata suddenly threw a kunai towards the charging Sound nin, which he easily leapt over. Neji suddenly charged beneath Dosu and leapt up, his palm catching the bandaged boy on the shoulder.

"Naruto revealed the trick to your attacks, so I'm not going to bother dodging, since I've seen your moves before," said Neji as he did a back flip and kicked Dosu back towards his team mates. 'I have to be careful, he's good at close range fighting with that device so I have to make sure I hit him and get out quickly, which means I'll be lucky to seal off his Tenketsu,' thought Neji. 'If I could get in the middle of their group I could use Kaiten and finish this easily, but if I have to keep this up for long my strength will run out.'

(0o0o0)

Back at the clearing where Neji had separated from his team mates, Lee and Tenten were getting worried. Lee had found a squirrel with a deactivated explosive note on its back and removed it, instantly making the squirrel his friend for life.

"It's not like Neji to keep us waiting, he's usually very punctual," said Tenten. "I wonder if he ran into trouble…"

"Neji-kun? No way! But we should still go look for him," said Lee with the nice guy pose.

"Right," said Tenten as a huge sweat drop formed on the back of her head before the two genin and one squirrel took off. Surprisingly, the squirrel was able to keep ahead of the two genin and seemed to want them to follow it.

(0o0o0)

'It's times like this that I wish I had mastered the Initial Lotus,' thought Neji as he sized up his opponents. The two boys seemed like the ones to worry about, the kunoichi had about the same chakra as Ino and was armed with senbon. 'Better take out the mummy, he seems to be the leader and strongest,' Neji silently checked his divination field, one of the first things he had learned about the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou was that you were to paralyze your opponent within the field to keep them from moving as you closed their Tenketsu. Neji smirked and raised his hand to make a 'come at me' gesture at Dosu. The bandaged shinobi took the taunt and charged forward. Neji waited until Dosu was within the divination field before pouring his chakra into holding the bandaged shinobi still.

"What's going on?" demanded Dosu.

"You're within the field of my divination!" said Neji before he crouched down and disappeared, only to reappear beneath Dosu and delivered a powerful kick to his chin that Hinata had seen before. She gasped to herself, 'That's Lee-kun's…'

"Konoha Senpuu(Leaf Spinning Wind)!" yelled Neji before he disappeared again and reappeared beneath Dosu before flipping over above him. "Nakazor Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou (Mid-air Sixty-four point hands)!" Neji's hands became blurs as he closed every Tenketsu he could. 'Something isn't right,' thought Neji, 'the Tenketsu in his body aren't being closed, only the ones on his arms and legs'. Neji's body suddenly stiffened and he realized he had made a classic mistake and used up all of his chakra early on in the fight. The Hyuga genius had pushed all his chakra through his entire body to speed him up enough to pull of a short burst of the speed Lee had used against Sasuke, and that, combined with the chakra he'd used to freeze Dosu, left him running on almost nothing. Just as the two started to descend, Neji felt pain spread through his body. 'My body is at its limit, I can't move!' he thought. Dosu was in the same position, but Neji managed to lock his arms around the Sound nin to make sure he couldn't escape the death they both were facing.

Hinata saw what was happening and screamed, "Neji-ni-san!"

"He can't protect himself like that! He's in trouble!" exclaimed Zaku as he rapidly made hand seals.

Neji suddenly felt the back of his shirt get grabbed and he was yanked away from his opponent, who kept falling. As Dosu was about to hit the ground, Zaku slammed his hands onto the ground and a big smoke cloud formed at the site of Dosu's impact.

Hinata could only watch in amazement as the phoenix she had helped gently set Neji down on his feet in front of her facing the Sound shinobi. The bird had swooped down and saved Neji, who was now staring in shock at his rescuer. Gishou had been awakened when the three Sound genin arrived, but only now made his presence known. "Cutting it a bit close don't you think Hinotama (Falling star/fireball)?" he asked.

The phoenix gave out a small squawk before saying, "I wanted to see how this boy did, and he did quite well for using a new variation on his technique." Hinotama then turned to Hinata and said, "Hinata-san, I was happy to help your cousin. For him to use such a life risking move proves how devoted he is to you. "

Hinata nodded, her eyes flicking to Zaku as he said, "Looks like I made it." The Hyuga girl's stare turned to one of fear as she saw Dosu stand up and shake himself off.

"No way!" gasped both Hyuga.

"What a terrifying technique, I feel as if half my body is dead," said Dosu as he slowly turned around. Hinata's eyes narrowed as she noticed he wore some sort of metal armor over his chest, which had blocked the majority of Neji's blows. "Now it's my turn!" said Dosu as he raised his sound wave emitter.

'Damn, that last move I just did toasted me. I've got nothing left,' thought Neji. As Dosu charged the Hyuga Genius, Neji barely managed to lean back in time as Dosu Swung his arm. Neji collapsed to his knees, his body shaking from the sonic attack he just became victim to. The Hyuga boy threw up as his vision blurred and blood leaked out of his left ear.

"You may be a genius, but our moves move at the speed of sound and can't be blocked. This device on my arm allows me to attack your inner ear, destroying your balance and equilibrium. You won't be able to move your body as you wish for a while," said Dosu.

"Lame old jutsu won't work on us," said Zaku as he removed his hands from the ground and stood up. "Well, you did start out well though. You forced me to use my jutsu, but you failed. I can freely control super sonic sound waves and air pressure; I even have the power to destroy a rock. Blasting air into the earth and creating a cushion is nothing. Our jutsu are different from your stupid techniques."

"And now it's your turn," said Dosu as he charged towards Hinata. Hinata couldn't move, if she did she would leave her team mates vulnerable, she had no choice but to take the attack.

'I will defend them, even give up my life for them!' thought Hinata as she prepared to block the attack with her own body.

As Dosu leapt into the air, Neji suddenly threw himself forward into his path. "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Neji as he prepared to use the Hyuga family's ultimate defense. "Ugh!" gasped Neji as his body suddenly froze and he couldn't perform the move.

"So the attack is affecting you after all," said Dosu. "You scared me there for a moment!" Dosu swung his arm towards Neji's head, aiming to hit him with the thick sound wave emitter. Neji barely managed to raise an arm to block the blow. "This arm multiplies the small sounds produced to their ultimate level! It's an amplifier. But the sound doesn't follow the direction of my arm, I use my chakra to make sure it always attacks my prey!"

"Neji-ni-san!" screamed Hinata as Neji fell flat on his chest and didn't move.

"Now, let's finish this!" said Dosu as he raised his arm.

"I won't let you!" yelled Hinata as she hurled four kunai at him and prepared to follow up with four shuriken. Dosu blocked the kunai with his amplifier arm and the look in his eye promised immense pain for Hinata.

(0o0o0)

Akemi's ears snapped up and she gasped, "I just heard Hinata scream!" Team Kunoichi had already gotten their second scroll and was looking for their friends.

"What? Where?" demanded Aki.

"Follow me!" said Akemi as she ran through the bushes.

(0o0o0)

Hinata hurled her shuriken at Dosu, only to see Zaku appear in front of his team mate and form hand seals before raising his palms. Hinata's shuriken suddenly shot back towards her too fast for her to dodge and she suffered several cuts. 'My shuriken were repelled by a wall of air!' she thought. Hinata suddenly found herself being slammed face first into the dirt by the Sound kunoichi, who had apparently used a Bushin to hide her presence while Hinata and Neji had their attention on Dosu and Zaku before sneaking around behind Hinata.

"Well, well, looks like the little princess isn't so tough. Girls like you aren't kunoichi, they're just playing make believe. I've seen your kind before, always complaining about a broken nail during a mission, never eating right because you think you'll get fat, stopping to powder your nose when you should be scouting the area, and wearing your hair long. At least you have the sense to keep it short enough that it can't be used as a handle for subduing you!" exclaimed Kin. "How long do you spend shampooing and conditioning it when you should be training?"

"For your information, I just brush it each morning!" growled Hinata. It was true, Hinata's hair only required a simple brushing to gain the luxurious shine that Naruto loved so much. Naruto himself spent more time grooming in the morning, but only because he had so many tails to care for and check for fleas and ticks. "I don't need make up to get Naruto-kun to think I'm beautiful!"

"Oooh, a feisty one! Zaku, kill that Naruto boy and her little pets in front of the little princess's eyes. We're going to teach her a lesson!" said Kin. "Now hold still brat!"

"So, let's do it!" said Zaku as he prepared to finish off Gishou and Hinotama. The two animals had assumed defensive positions, the phoenix was hovering in the air in preparation for diving while Gishou was growling and baring his fangs.

Now, one thing anyone who knew Hinata and Neji well could tell you was that a Hyuga could expel chakra from all the Tenketsu on their body with ease. Hinata did just that, a wave of blue chakra surging out of her back and throwing Kin off her. "I won't let you touch a hair on their heads!" growled Hinata as she delivered a spinning kick to Kin's chest that knocked her back into her two comrades.

'I'm a Konoha kunoichi, the future Uzumaki Hinata. This is what I've trained for, to protect the lives of those people most precious to me!' thought Hinata as she stood proud and firm.

(0o0o0)

Team Kunoichi arrived at the clearing just in time to see Hinata throw off Kin. All three girls took in the fire that seemed to be burning in Hinata's lavender eyes. Akemi smiled, 'Hinata, you've grown stronger since I fought you on the bridge' she thought. "Let's see how Hinata does before we jump in," she whispered. Aki and Haku glanced at her. "Hinata seems stronger than before. I think she's about to kick butt! Lets let her go ahead and we'll jump in if we have to." Haku and Aki glanced at each other before nodding.

(0o0o0)

"Little bitch!" hissed Kin as she climbed to her feet. The Sound Kunoichi hurled a few senbon at Hinata and charged towards the Hyuga girl behind the needles.

Kin was surprised to see Hinata smirk and yell, "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" before starting to spin. A chakra dome flared around Hinata and sent the Senbon back at Kin, who barely managed to drop to the ground to avoid her projectiles. Kin looked up in time to see Hinata's foot slam into her face. Kin flew through the air and landed hard behind her team mates. "You are up against Konoha's greatest Taijutsu form, the Jyuken. There is now way you can win, so give up!" said Hinata.

Zaku immediately formed the hand seals for his attack as he yelled, "Zankuuha (Air slicing blast)!" and a powerful gust of wind shot out of his palms and slammed Hinata into a tree trunk. The Hyuga girl pulled herself out of the tree and shook her head to clear it. She was aware of a small form crouched in between her opponents and herself.

Gishou growled as fire surrounded his body in a large ball of flame before disappearing to reveal a changed kitsune. Gishou's shoulder was now about even with the top of Hinata's head and blue flames covered his paws. Zaku and Dosu backed up a bit at the thought of taking on an enraged kitsune, but Gishou wasn't about to let them get away. The two tailed fox charged the two boys, faking a lunge at Zaku so he could catch Dosu off guard with a swipe of his paw. The giant fox proceeded to chase Dosu around the clearing, not giving the Sound boy time to gather his wits and attack with his sound wave.

Zaku leapt back to give himself room to activate his jutsu and blast the fox chasing Dosu, only to find Hinata charging towards him. The Sound boy barely managed to block her first open palmed attack, only to feel his arm go numb. Hinata smirked; she now had a distinct advantage. Using her Byakugan to keep track of Dosu and Kin, Hinata proceeded to close the Tenketsu on Zaku's arms to keep him from using his attacks and leaving him unable to defend against her next attack. "Time to end this!" said Hinata with a smirk before she charged Zaku, only to see the boy grin and amazingly raise his hands. 'But I closed his Tenketsu, he shouldn't be able to move his arms!' she thought.

"Heh, my arms are mostly numb but the devices in my arms allow me to still use my jutsu even if a Hyuga closes my opening points. Prepare to feel the wrath of the wind! Zankuukyokuha (Ultimate Air Slicing Blast)!" yelled Zaku before a huge blast of air from his palm sent Hinata flying into a tree. Numerous cuts appeared in her clothes and Hinata was thankful for her thick jacket that protected her upper body from the brunt of the attack but was now ripped to shreds. Hinata coughed up a bit of blood from hitting the tree and looked up in time to see Kin managed to catch Gishou from behind with a kunai in his leg. The sudden pain was enough of a distraction for Dosu to spin around and drive his arm into the kitsune's face, sending sound waves into Gishou's head. Gishou collapsed, his coordination and balance totally thrown off and reverted to his smaller form.

"Heh, I'm in the mood for a fox fur coat," said Kin with an evil smirk as she approached the kitsune, only to be tackled by Hinata.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" growled Hinata before she started punching Kin in the stomach. The Sound Kunoichi grunted before managing to kick Hinata off her. Hinata managed to turn her descent into a flip that put her on her feet, only to sag as the pain from hitting the tree and using so much chakra earlier stated to catch up to her through her adrenaline rush. 'I can't last much longer, Gishou is down, and Hinotama won't be able to handle all three of them at once!' thought Hinata.

Suddenly, three figures dashed in front of Hinata. Akemi had grabbed her team mates with her tails and dragged them out with her.

"Hmph, more weirdoes have arrived," said Zaku.

"Good job Hinata, will take it from here!" said Haku.

"Akemi, Haku, Aki, thank you, I thought I could handle him but I'm beat!" said Hinata.

"No problem, you're family and we don't let family face trouble by themselves," said Akemi.

"It looks like more insects have scurried into the open," said Dosu.

"Hinata, take care of those two and Neji-kun!" said Aki. Hinata nodded and staggered to Gishou's side. A quick healing jutsu combined with the kitsune's natural rapid healing and Gishou was able to regain his balance and help Hinata get over to the hollow and check on Naruto, Neji, and Sasuke. Neji would be fine with some rest, but his chakra was gone, there was no way he had enough to do any more jutsu.

"All right Team Kunoichi, let's rock!" exclaimed Akemi. "Haku, do your thing!" Haku dashed forward, faster than the Sound shinobi could follow, and grabbed Kin's hair. The dragon hanyou girl pulled Kin along behind her and spun around, slamming Kin into a nearby tree trunk face first. The sound kunoichi fell to the ground and slowly stood up, pulling senbon from her supply pouch and holding a needle between each finger. Kin was surprised to see Haku mimicking her, but threw her needles anyway. Haku did the same and each of her needles collided with one of Kin's.

Haku made some rapid one handed seals before making a complete dragon seal and yelling, "Fubuki (Snow Storm) no Jutsu!" Instantly the area around Kin dropped in temperature and snow started to appear. Kin's teeth chattered in the sudden cold and she found it hard to move. Haku's next set of seals was much shorter and also ended with the dragon seal. "Suno-gan (Snow Gun) no jutsu!" said Haku as the snow rose to her hand and formed a sphere before shooting out to hit Kin in the face. Kin wiped the snow from her eyes, only to see a swarm of snowballs coming towards her. When the barrage stopped, Kin was unconscious and Haku was drained from making so much snow in direct sunlight.

Akemi surrounded her fists in foxfire and charged Zaku. The Sound boy raised his arms and yelled, "Zankuuha!" The wind blast shot towards Akemi, who simply leapt into the air to avoid it. As Akemi closed in on Zaku, the Sound boy quickly backed up.

"Okibi ken (Blazing Fire punch)!" yelled Akemi as she attempted to introduce her flaming fist to Zaku's face. Zaku frantically back peddled, Akemi was giving him no time to form the seals to activate his Zankuuha.

Dosu suddenly charged at Akemi, causing Aki to rapidly form hand seals that came easily thanks to long hours of catching little kids that didn't want to go to bed during babysitting missions. "Oh no you don't! Kage Gyokaku (Shadow Catch) no jutsu!" said Aki before reaching out as if to grab Dosu. Aki's shadow suddenly shot out from her arm in the shape of a giant arm that grabbed Dosu. "Got you! Now for some fun!" said Aki. She swung her arm and the shadow arm swung Dosu into a tree. Aki repeated the motion, but this time Dosu was ready and managed to blast the tree with his arm. The resulting cloud of wood disrupted Aki's shadow arm and it dropped him and returned to her normal shadow.

"Hehe, so that jutsu has a limit and can be broken if something breaks the shadow or it gets distorted," said Dosu. Aki said nothing, instead making more hand seals.

"So you broke my Kage Te (Shadow Hand), big deal," said Aki. Dosu charged at Aki, only to be punched by a giant shadow fist that was covering Aki's hand. "I'm also an expert at shadow boxing," said the girl with a smirk.

As Dosu stood up, a rain of kunai hit the ground right in front of him while a green blur sent Zaku into the air with a yell of "Konoha Senpuu!" Everyone looked up to see Tenten holding more kunai in her hands while Lee was between Akemi and Zaku. The squirrel was perched on Lee's shoulder with its tail wrapped around Lee's arm to keep from falling off.

"They keep coming out, like cockroaches," muttered Dosu.

"You made a mistake, attacking our team mate," said Tenten.

"Yosh! We'll avenge Neji-kun!" yelled Lee.

Before anyone could move, a large surge of chakra swept through the clearing and caused everyone to look towards Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke was standing up, but he didn't look normal. Strange black markings covered his left arm and the left side of his face. "Hinata, who did this to you?" he asked.

"Sas..Sasuke?" gasped Hinata.

"Tell me who?" growled Sasuke.

'The curse seal is wrapped around his whole body,' thought Dosu.

"We did it!" said Zaku, who had managed to soften his landing from Lee's kick with a cushion of air.

"Sasuke, your body," whispered Hinata.

Sasuke glanced down at the markings on his arm and looked at Hinata before saying, "Don't worry, not only that, I feel power overflowing from me. I feel great! He gave it to me. I finally understand it, I am an avenger, even if I must eat the devil's fruit, I am on a path where I must gain power."

'He got up from the curse seal, this isn't good,' thought Dosu.

"Now, it was you guys, right?" asked Sasuke as he glared at Dosu and Zaku. Lee, Akemi, and Aki all backed away from the two male Sound shinobi, they could tell Sasuke was pissed and didn't want to get in his way.

"Huh, Dosu, there's no need to be afraid of this half dead freak!" exclaimed Zaku as he prepared an air blast.

"No Zaku, don't!" yelled Dosu, but it was too late.

"Zankuukyokuha (Ultimate Air slicing blast)!" yelled Zaku as he sent a huge air blast at Sasuke. As the dust kicked up by the attack cleared, Zaku grinned when Sasuke wasn't visible. "Heh, I blew him away!" said Zaku.

"Blew who away?" asked two voices behind him. Everyone was surprised to see Naruto and Sasuke standing with their backs to Zaku, Hinata and Neji on the ground in front of them with Hinotama and Gishou. Both Konoha genin back handed Zaku, sending him crashing into the middle of the clearing.

"When'd you wake up Dobe?" asked Sasuke as the two turned to face Zaku. Now everyone could see Naruto's eyes were red and his claws were longer.

"Just in time to see Hinata-chan free herself from that bitch and kick some ass. My youki needed to recharge so I faked being asleep to let it," said Naruto. "Now, shall we repay them for causing Hinata so much pain?"

"I think we should," said Sasuke with an evil chuckle. Before Zaku could react, both boys had grabbed one of his arms and pressed one foot each onto his back.

"So you're proud of these arms?" asked both boys at once before they pulled on the arms and pressed on Zaku's back. With a loud snap, Zaku's arms broke and he collapsed to the ground screaming in pain. Sasuke and Naruto then turned towards Dosu, saying, "You're the last one left, we hope you let us have more fun."

'This isn't the boy I fought on the bridge,' thought Haku, 'that Sasuke-kun is kind and cheerful, not so demonic.'

'Naruto-kun, what has happened to you?' Hinata asked inside her head.

Before Naruto and Sasuke could take another step, they both found a pair of arms wrapped around them as two voices yelled, "STOP!" Hinata was hugging Naruto from behind while Haku had her arms around Sasuke. "Please stop," whispered the two girls.

The black marks slowly disappeared from Sasuke while Naruto's eyes regained their normal blue color. Both boys sank to the ground as their chakra reserve plummeted.

"You are strong," said Dosu as he held up his team's earth scroll. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, we can't defeat you at this time." Dosu set the scroll down on the ground as he said, "Here's a gift to you, please let us leave." Dosu then walked over to Zaku and slung him over his shoulder. "This may seem convenient, but there is something we must find out now. But I will promise you this, if there is another situation where we will meet in this exam, we will neither hide nor run." Sasuke and Naruto nodded, so Dosu proceeded to get Kin also.

"Wait!" yelled Hinata. Dosu turned to look at her. "Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke? Why to Sasuke?"

"I don't know," said Dosu, "We were simply ordered to kill Sasuke-kun." The sole functional Sound shinobi walked away with his comrades over his shoulders.

Gishou ran up with Naruto's Hitai-ate, which the blond gratefully donned. "Thanks Gishou. Hinata-chan, thanks for stopping me, I'm lucky I didn't run off and attack someone," said the blond. Hinata ran her fingers through Naruto's golden locks and bent down to kiss him on the lips.

"Hush, that's all in the past. Just relax and rest," said Hinata with a smile.

Aki had knelt down beside Neji and was searching through her supply pouch. "Ah, here we go!" she said as she pulled out some soldier pills. As Lee and Tenten approached them, Aki suddenly found herself with a dilemma: How was she going to get Neji to swallow the pill when he could barely move and couldn't sit up without throwing up? Aki thought for a moment before popping the pill into her own mouth and chewing it. She then pressed her lips to Neji's and pushed the pill pieces into his mouth with her tongue. Akemi gave a low whistle as Neji automatically swallowed the pill and Aki sat up with her face bright red. The Tamahashi girl placed Neji's head in her lap and her blush grew in intensity as Naruto wolf whistled at the pair. "What, I just want him to be comfortable!" exclaimed Aki. Everyone just grinned at her and turned their attention away from the pair. Aki's blush died down a little and she gave into her inner urge to run her fingers through Neji's hair. Aki sighed in delight as everything seemed right with the world for the moment.

Haku had formed a bottle of ice with water in it and was holding it for Sasuke as he drank his fill. "Thanks Haku-chan, my whole body feels drained," said Sasuke. Haku smiled before pulling out a senbon. "Haku-chan, what are you do…ing?" asked Sasuke as Haku pressed the needle into a pressure point and he felt his eyes getting heavy.

"You need to rest, I just put you into the right frame of mind," was the last thing Sasuke heard Haku say before the events of the day caught up with him and he fell asleep. "Note to self, ask Kyuubi-san about dating Sasuke-kun full time," said Haku, "This feels nice."

Akemi, Lee, and Tenten all decided to make themselves useful and quickly found a nearby clearing with a tree growing over several large rocks that formed an excellent shelter. Soon, all three teams were settled in to await the recovery of the three boys who had fought so hard that day. Thanks to Naruto's scroll tags, everyone's back packs were available so they had plenty of food. With Lee being the only boy fit for duty, the girls sent him to go fill their canteens while Akemi hunted for food to supplement their rations. Haku gathered some herbs she found nearby and started preparing a fire pit to cook whatever Akemi brought back.

Hinata glanced at Hinotama, since the phoenix had yet to leave her side. "Hinotama-san, is there a reason you are still accompanying us?" she asked.

"I'm just bored with forest life and could use a change of scenery. Besides, Kyuubi-chan would never forgive me if I left you guys alone in this forest now," replied the phoenix.

"You know Kyuubi-ka-san?" asked Akemi.

Hinotama nodded. "Indeed, we are old friends. The phoenix clan and the kitsune clan are ancient allies because we both use mystical fire and when I heard Kyuubi-chan had settled down here in Konoha I decided to do likewise in case she had need of the alliance. You're also an interesting young chick, Hinata-chan; I think you have much potential, especially after what I saw today. So for now I will accompany you unless you wish otherwise."

"I would be most happy to have your company Hinotama," replied Hinata. Just then, Akemi returned with some rabbits she caught for dinner. Haku immediately wrapped them in some large leaves with the herbs she had gathered and skewered the bundles on a portable roasting spit Sasuke had packed in his gear for just such an occasion. The leaves hid the smell of the cooking rabbits and added a sweet flavor to the meat. Everyone ate their fill, leaving a generous portion for Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke.

Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke eventually woke up famished and each boy devoured several cups of ramen in seconds. Everyone found the sight of Neji and Sasuke eating ramen at Naruto speed hilarious, though Naruto didn't see what was so funny. The three boys then ate the dinner that had been saved for them at a slightly slower pace. Following basic training for missions in the field, the group set up a pair of look outs that would be rotated every few hours after dusk. This allowed everyone to get a chance to rest while still keeping a watch for enemies. The moon soon gazed down at the group and despite the dangers of the forest, everyone slept easily.

_Special note: I'm going to assume I'll get lots of questions on how Naruto's kitsune blood took control when his youki was sealed up. The answer is there's enough youki leaking around the seal to activate the rage and blood lust Naruto had, but not enough for him to transform. Naruto still has his normal chakra, so he can still perform jutsu, he just has to be careful with how much he uses._

**Well, I just started writing and couldn't stop. I can't believe how quickly I finished this chapter, considering it is a whooping 30 pages in Word. This is my longest chapter to date for anything, so enjoy. Next chapter will finish up the second test and start the next arc of the story. Everyone enjoy, don't forget to review so I can make the next chapter even better.**


	11. Tail 10: Out of the forest

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, now we're almost out of the Forest of Death and soon the next part of the Chunin Exam will begin. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews; give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses_

_Fan of all Fics: Thank you for the generous compliments, I'm glad I could give you such enjoyment. Unfortuneatly, college and real life are going to force me to slow down my update schedule by a week._

_Patch5129: Yep, Sasuke knows only a nude Hinata will make Naruto vulnerable to Sexy no Jutsu. Glad you liked the arm breaking and phoenix tears._

_RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: Glad you liked it. I'm getting some reviews saying that I didn't do a good job and your comments on Hinata's confidence are appreciated._

_Tombadgerlock: I realize I could have done better with Hinata, but I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter even though I might not have done my best._

_Ranma Hibiki: Let me put it this way: Naruto and Sasuke have a rule that nobody messes with Hinata. That said, they pretty much know what the other is going to say, and Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to mimic Naruto's movements._

_unknown reader: I'm sorry you feel I'm unoriginal, I know I'm sticking pretty much to the story, but that's because I love it so much. I'm changing the prelims a lot, though some of the things, like the Shishi Rendan and Uzumaki Naruto Rendan will still occur because I like them. And I have plans for after the Rescue Sasuke arc, I'll be crossing this story with my first one, A Dream is a Wish. And on Neji using Lee's move, I figure he's seen the initial kick so many times and done it before that he can do it and combine it with his Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou for a midair combo. _

_Dragon and Sword Master: Orochimaru is not a Jounin, he's a Senin, a ninja that has the power level of a Hokage or can become one, but maybe slightly less powerful, I'm not exactly sure how they compare. Glad you like Hinotama, he'll be playing a big role in helping Hinata grow stronger later._

_Story Weaver1: Glad you liked the Hinata action. I've revised her parts and given her some more so re read the chapter.  
_

_Shadow-Sensei: Glad you liked it. Naruto and Sasuke won't let anyone get away with hurting Hinata, they've been beating up kids who bullied her since they were little kids._

_God in a Box: Glad you liked both chapter, I realize I kind of messed up on Hinata's part in the Sound fight, but I've fixed Tail 9 up and I think it's a bit better._

_Joecool4: You're right, Naruto will get that seal removed after the prelims. I plan to have Hinotama eventually get Hinata to sign a summoning contract with the phoenixes and he'll be helping Hinata with some fire attacks. _

_xAkix: Glad you liked the revisions, hopefully betaing for each other will make us both better writers._

_Crazyhanyoued: My secret? Lots of fluff, humor, and using a plot that works._

_Scorpio V1.2: I totally understand what you're saying. Naruto knows he isn't unbeatable, he wanted Sasuke and Hinata to escape while he did his best to hold off Orochimaru with something big so someone strong enough would arrive. Naruto is currently at about half strength since he can't use his youki, so his prelim fight will be difficult._

_Aloi-chan: AU means Alternate Universe, in other words a story that deviates from the original story at some point. For this one it's that Kyuubi didn't attack Konoha and married Ken._

_Timeshifter: You don't have to wait, they start this chapter._

_Wganas: You're in luck, I'm going to rewrite Trials of Kimiko to be a merging of this story and my first one, A Dream is a Wish, after I finish with this story, so after the Rescue Sasuke arc._

_Draconous: Let's say Kyuubi was delayed just long enough that the fight would be over before she got there. As long as Hinata is within Naruto's sight, there isn't much chance of him taking off so the foxes didn't jump in or were keeping the wild animals away from the team. I've revised the last chapter to give Gishou a role in the fight and improved Hinata's involvement._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

_**Extra special note of happiness: I've revised the last chapter to change the fight against the Sound trio and Orochimaru, so please re-read the chapter and tell me what you think of the changes.**_

_**Extra note of sadness: due to college work and real life, I'm going to have to change my update schedule from every week on Saturday to every two weeks to give me more time to work on each chapter and still get all my school work done.**_

After Neji had recovered all of his chakra thanks to a day of rest, the three teams split up. Neji, Tenten, and Lee left first since they still had to get their second scroll. Lee was constantly stroking the back of his new squirrel friend and when the little animal showed no desire to leave, Lee found himself naming the squirrel Kasshoku (Brown). Team Seven and Team Kunoichi took it easy and relaxed to let Naruto and Sasuke recover completely. During this time, Naruto told everyone everything he knew about Orochimaru. Hinata kept a constant watch on both her team mates with her Byakugan and was disappointed that her favorite furry appendages were not coming back even though Naruto's youki was increasing. Orochimaru's seal was apparently designed to paralyze a youkai and allow a person to finish it off without having to worry about a counter attack. In Naruto's case, his youki was there, he just couldn't access enough to transform or use his foxfire. His senses had returned to normal, though his hearing was not quite as good over long distances. Sasuke appeared to be fine and there were no signs of the strange black marks appearing again. Both teams agreed to travel to the tower together, figuring there was safety in numbers.

(0o0o0)

On the afternoon of the fourth day of the exam, Team Seven and Team Kunoichi left their shelter and headed towards the tower. They had been lucky, no teams found them and they were able to fully heal and recharge. Naruto still couldn't regain his ears and tails, much to both Hinata's and his dismay. Naruto almost felt naked without them and half deaf. "I really hope Oka-san can figure out what's wrong with me and how to fix it," he said.

"I'm sure she can help get you back to normal Naruto-kun. We just need to get to the tower and we can get you a checkup right away," said Hinata.

Naruto nodded, not letting himself be distracted from keeping alert for an enemy ambush. The two teams didn't encounter anyone for a while until they happened to stumble across Kabuto by the river. The silver haired genin glanced up as he heard Naruto, Sasuke, and Akemi land on the ground while Hinata, Aki, and Haku stayed in the trees with Hinotama and Gishou.

"You're Kabuto, right? What are you doing here without your team?" asked Naruto.

Kabuto waved his hands in front of his chest as he said, "Hold it, it's not like I'm after your scrolls. I've already got both of the ones my team needs, we just got separated! Sheesh, this exam has made you paranoid. But I'll forgive you and tell you the path you guys should be taking to get to the tower quickly."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Akemi.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses before showing them that he did indeed have both scrolls and saying, "Why would I need your scrolls if I have my own. Besides, you've obviously decided there is safety in numbers and we're all Konoha shinobi. I know I could reach the tower on my own, but there are bound to be enemies on the way and I have no inclination to fight three opponents at once."

The group nodded and with Kabuto leading the way started leaping through the trees. "Are there really enemies left?" asked Haku.

"Yes, no doubt about it. Just think about it, do you know the smartest tactic for fighting in a large jungle like this?"

"Set up ambushes where prey is likely to go," said Akemi.

Naruto nodded and said, "And the goal to this test is the tower so the best place to have an ambush with only one day left is…"

"Near the tower," said Aki.

"So if we still needed a scroll we would go after a team that has both scrolls and is heading towards the tower," said Haku.

"You're one third right," said Kabuto, "You guys aren't the only ones thinking like that. There are other teams that could need a scroll that would be delighted to have six scrolls drop right into their laps."

"So the area around the tower is likely filled with enemies with traps set already," said Hinata.

"And they're just waiting to ambush us! Heh, bring 'em on, I could use the exercise!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Kabuto-san, what's the remaining one third?" asked Aki.

"That third is actually more like you guys. People I call collectors appear at this time in the test," replied Kabuto.

"Collectors?" asked Akemi, barely missing a tree branch that Naruto had pushed back as it whipped forward towards her face.

"Even though the tower is right in front of them, the difficult test in this forest of death, that special situation gives birth to them. Basically, collectors gather extra scrolls in case they run into a strong enemy and need a gift to ensure their escape," said Kabuto. His words struck a chord in Hinata's memory.

'Orochimaru said prey could only escape by offering the predator a different meal. Looks like some of the others taking this test have the same idea,' she thought.

Kabuto continued, "There are those who try to receive favors and information by delivering an extra scroll to a team from their village. For example, if your two groups met up and one group had three scrolls and the other only one, if the extra scroll could complete the set then you gained a valuable ally for the rest of the exam."

"That makes sense, I know all the rookie teams agreed not to fight each other and help each other out if necessary," said Haku.

Kabuto nodded before saying, "Then there are the teams that desire to pick off more teams while at an advantage to ensure an easier time in the third test."

"Those would be the worst ones to meet when you're exhausted," said Aki. "They'd be strong and confident in their abilities. Do you think we'll run into any of them?"

Akemi had an evil looking smirk on her face as she said, "I'm hoping we do, I want to kick some butt! We've only fought one team besides those sound weirdoes and I want action!"

"That explains why you suggested we join up, you're scared," said Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

The seven genin took a short break once they were able to see the top of the tower through the trees against the dark night sky. "Now, we can see the tower. But we must be extra careful from here on out," said Kabuto.

All the other genin nodded, but Akemi, Naruto, and Haku suddenly stiffened and spun around to each hurl a kunai behind them. All three blades hit and pinned a giant centipede to the tree trunk behind them. All seven genin stared for a moment before Hinata's eye twitched and she turned away muttering something about Neji and pranks scarring her for life.

"Is that a youkai centipede?" asked Sasuke. His parents had told him that youkai came in all sorts of shapes and forms, and even the most harmless animals could be a youkai hiding its true strength.

Akemi sniffed the centipede and backed away waving her hand in front of her nose. "Yep, and it stinks. Must have eaten something rotten," she said.

"That's nasty, look at all the legs," muttered Aki.

"From here on we have to avoid unnecessary actions and noises," said Kabuto. "Moving through the forest like an elephant will only tip off our enemies and they do not have a fun welcome party planned for us."

"Right, from this point on we move as swiftly and silently as time allows," said Haku. Everyone nodded and the group set out.

(0o0o0)

"How long have we been walking?" Naruto asked Gishou softly in the kitsune tongue.

"I'm not sure, but I'm beginning to pick up our own scents," replied Gishou.

"This is crazy, we aren't getting any closer to the tower," said Sasuke.

"But it seems to be right in front of us, this is weird," said Hinata.

"Seems like we've already arrived at our welcoming party," said Kabuto.

"You're right, even I can smell it now," said Haku before she pointed to a nearby tree. All the humans looked up to see the centipede youkai from earlier.

"Genjutsu?" suggested Aki.

"Looks like it, we have fallen totally into their trap," said Kabuto.

"They took advantage of our worries and made us walk in circles," Said Akemi.

"They're watching us," whispered Hinata, Byakugan active.

"They planned to tire us out and use that opportunity to attack," muttered Naruto, wishing he had his fox ears to catch all the sounds that could indicate where their enemies were.

"Then its going just as they planned," said Sasuke as he grabbed one of his Fuuma Shuriken.

"So they should be getting ready to attack," said Kabuto as he adjusted his glasses.

All the genin took on their combat stances as a bunch of Hidden Rain shinobi appeared surrounding them. The sheer number of enemies indicated that their opponents were using some form of Genjutsu or Bushin.

"So they've appeared," said Sasuke as he flicked the Fuuma Shuriken open.

"Bah, this is going to be fun!" said Naruto as he cracked his hands in preparation for using his claws.

"He he, you're trapped rats!" said one of the Rain shinobi.

"Shut up!" growled Naruto as he charged the shinobi and punched him in the gut.

"Great job Naruto-ni-san, they're weak!" cheered Akemi.

Everyone gasped as Naruto suddenly tore through his opponent like the guy was made out of semi solid water. Part of the shinobi formed into the upper torso of the same man, perched on the back of the original and holding a kunai with points on both ends.

"I'll uncover it, Sharingan!' thought Sasuke as he activated his bloodline and saw the half shinobi about to attack Naruto. "Naruto!" yelled Sasuke as he hurled some shuriken at the attacker. Naruto spun around in time to see the shuriken hit his attacker's arm, only to see the arm allow the shuriken through and reform. The reformed arm changed targets and hurled its weapon at Sasuke. The Uchiha boy ducked, receiving only a slight scratch from the kunai, and one of Akemi's tails shot out to grab the kunai in mid air.

'It's real, not an illusion,' she thought.

"Give us your scroll," said all the Rain shinobi clones.

"Does the fact that Sasuke got hurt mean they're Kage Bushin? Kage Bushin disappear after receiving a direct hit, but these don't, so is it Genjutsu? Which is it?" demanded Naruto as he grabbed a kunai.

Naruto was about to charge a mass of the Rain shinobi when Sasuke yelled, "Don't it's useless!" Seeing everyone turn to him, the Uchiha boy said, "They are illusions, this is enemy Genjutsu."

"But Sasuke-kun's injury is real," said Haku.

"No, Sasuke-kun is correct. The enemy is hiding and matching their attacks to the movements to the fake shinobi, so that it will seem like the illusions are the ones attacking and damaging us," said Kabuto. "They're planning to wear us out fighting the illusions then move in for the kill. These kinds of guys aren't good at taijutsu or close range fighting."

"Alright, if that's their plan," said Naruto with a smirk, "I'll just match them Bushin for Bushin!"

"Hold it Naruto, this is an illusion, not simple Bushin. Let me take a crack at this!" said Haku. The dragon hanyou girl quickly formed the one handed seals Sasuke had seen on the bridge. "Hi Jutsu, Makyou HyouShou (Secret Skill, Demonic Ice Mirrors)!" said Haku as she formed the water molecules in the air into her mirrors to surround the whole clearing. Haku then stepped into one mirror and her image appeared in all the mirrors. Haku began her attack, her strikes so swift the enemy shinobi in hiding couldn't see her. Training with her friends had increased Haku's already formidable speed to the point she seemed to be everywhere at once when she used her mirrors. However, even after she hit all the fake shinobi, more appeared to take their place. "Damn, there's no end to them!" growled Haku.

"Time for some tag teaming!" yelled Naruto as he leapt into the middle of the clearing while making his favorite seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" the fake shinobi were each suddenly confronted with a Naruto each. Naruto and Haku attacked together, tearing through all their targets with ease. While this was going on, Hinata used her Byakugan to search for the enemy shinobi.

'There they are, now how to sneak up on them,' she thought as she saw the three Hidden Rain shinobi hidden nearby. She was surprised to see one of them was the one who had tried to impersonate Naruto earlier and figured his team mates must have found and revived him somehow. Hinata suddenly grinned and inched over to Akemi to whisper in her ear. The fox girl's face soon had a huge grin and the two girls quickly informed Kabuto, Aki, and Sasuke of the plan. Gishou snuck into the battle zone and informed Naruto and Haku. Once everyone was informed, Haku dropped her jutsu and Naruto made his move.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" roared Naruto as the clearing and everyone in it were surrounded in smoke. The hordes of Naruto clones charged the fake shinobi with his friends joining the attack. Everyone fought hard, but eventually Naruto was drained and sent skidding backwards into his friends as his clones disappeared in clouds of smoke. All of them were panting from using so much chakra and that's when the enemy shinobi made their move.

The fake shinobi suddenly faded away in the morning light and revealed three genin from Hidden Rain. Naruto growled and yelled, "You're that bastard that ambushed me when I was taking a leak!"

"You're the brat who got me with his fancy move before. Now I get to repay you for all the pain you put me through!" said the shinobi they had seen before.

"Bring it on, I beat you once and I can do it again! But how did you get out of that hole we left you in?" asked Naruto.

"Heh, like I'm going to tell you!" snorted the Rain shinobi as he lifted his kunai.

A wire suddenly wrapped itself around the neck of one of the three rain shinobi, while the one Team Seven had encountered before found the blade of a Fuuma Shuriken pressed against his throat, and the last member of the Hidden Rain team felt the point of a kunai against the back of his head while a senbon was pressed against his throat.

"Good job Naruto!" said Aki as her shadow hand shot out grab the Rain nin Sasuke had the blade of his Fuuma shuriken resting against the neck of. Naruto smirked and the group of his friends behind him were covered in smoke for a minute before they were revealed to be Kage Bushins of Naruto.

"The Kage Bushin was just a trick, a diversion while I transformed into the whole team!" said Naruto.

"The moment Naruto released his jutsu, we all hid. You Genjutsu users got a taste of your own medicine," said Sasuke.

Naruto's clones suddenly disappeared as he fell to his knees. "Dang, I used too much chakra," he muttered.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, we'll handle this part," said Hinata with a smile as she prepared to deliver a Jyuken strike to the Hidden Rain Shinobi Kabuto and Haku were holding captive. She was not prepared for the man to suddenly kick back and knock Haku and Kabuto off balance before charging her with a kunai. Before she could move, an orange blur slammed into the Rain shinobi and sent him crashing into his team mates. Everyone stared at Naruto in shock, amazed that he was still able to move.

'Wow, what chakra stamina, a Jounin level technique like Kage Bushin plus transforming into six people. (Hinotama and Gishou had stayed with the fakes in case Naruto needed help, which he didn't) All that and he can still move, and this is the fifth day. If this kid masters his chakra use, he'll become a monster,' thought Kabuto.

"You're pretty good," said the first Rain shinobi they had encountered, "But we aren't unlucky just yet! There's little time left, now we'll show you our Ninjutsu!" All three Hidden Rain shinobi made the same set of hand seals and yelled, "Ninpou: Oboro Bushin (Mist clone) no jutsu!" Instantly, half a dozen clones of each Rain shinobi appeared facing the seven Konoha genin.

"Let me handle this," said Akemi as she raised the arm that held her Tetsugen. With a surge of chakra to activate the device, a kunai on a thin wire cable shot out and hit the closest target. The kunai passed right through the target, causing Akemi to growl, "Damn, a clone!" The kunai shot towards and through several more targets before Akemi reeled it back in.

Sasuke scowled and formed half the ram seal to help focus his chakra. 'This is the last of my chakra, Sharingan!' Sasuke's Sharingan eyes spun as he stared at the mass of Rain shinobi in front of him. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw all of them turn into chakra flames, meaning none of them were the real enemy. Just then Sasuke felt a pain in his neck and collapsed to the ground screaming. Haku was by his side instantly and gasped when she saw the strange black markings from before appear again.

"Sasuke-kun, stop using Sharingan!" cried Haku. Naruto looked towards Sasuke for a second. That was all it took for a Rain shinobi to leap forward and attempt to ram a kunai through Naruto's head. Luckily, Kabuto tackled Naruto out of the way in time and suffered another nasty shoulder wound for his trouble.

"Kabuto-san!" yelled Naruto as he stared at the fallen grey haired genin. "Damn it," growled Naruto as he turned towards the mass of Rain shinobi.

"Stop Naruto! You won't find the real ones, no matter how many you punch!" yelled Sasuke.

"Then were will the enemies attack from? Normal clones can't attack," yelled Naruto.

Akemi kept her eyes on the clones and noticed one of each Rain Shinobi charging towards Naruto. Suddenly, the fox girl yelled, "They're attacking from the clones' shadows!"

Naruto whirled around to face Akemi in time to see Kabuto get slashed across the face by one of the rain shinobi and sent flying. Akemi, Haku, and Aki leapt forward, each kunoichi aiming for a different Rain shinobi. The three Kunoichi delivered a trio of perfectly timed kicks to the Rain shinobi's' backs and sent them face first into the ground. Hinata ran forward and delivered several rapid Jyuken strikes to each Rain shinobi's back that would leave them paralyzed for the rest of the day. Naruto rummaged through the bodies and found a heaven scroll, which he grabbed as spoils of victory.

"You're all very good, considering this is your first time taking this exam," said Kabuto as he put back on his glasses.

Sasuke noticed that the cut Kabuto had received across his face seemed to have stopped bleeding already, almost as quickly as Sasuke's own minor injuries did thanks to the blood bond he had made with Naruto. 'There's something strange about him, maybe he had youkai blood in him but less than Haku, Naruto, and Rin-sensei?' thought Sasuke. The Uchiha boy gladly accepted a shoulder from Haku to help him walk, wearily leaning on the shoulder of the girl he constantly found inhabiting his thoughts.

The group of seven genin headed towards the tower where they found Kabuto's two team mates waiting. "You're late, Kabuto," said one, who wore Shino like sunglasses over his eyes.

"We ran into some trouble, sorry," said Kabuto as he scratched the back of his head.

"But it was thanks to you that we were aware of those ambushes and were able to anticipate them!" said Haku.

"No, it was all thanks to you six that we got through those so easily. You and Sasuke were really great at the end, Naruto," said Kabuto. "We are going through this door," said Kabuto, "Good luck to all of you!" The three teams separated, each one choosing a different door to enter. Hinata took Sasuke from Haku, making sure to show she had no intentions of keeping him and would give him back as soon as they met up again.

(0o0o0)

"How was the harvest?" asked a voice once the door had closed behind Kabuto's team. The three walked up to a man leaning against the wall of the room.

"It was above expectations," said Kabuto, "I've written down all their data from the second test. You want this right?" The silver haired genin held up six of his info cards.

"Heheh, so you're that interested," said the man as he took the cards, which were for Team Seven and Team Kunoichi. "So how did it go?" he asked.

"Orochimaru-sama," said Kabuto, not quite sure what the former Konoha senin wanted from him.

"I want to know your opinion as our spy," said Orochimaru.

"That's unnecessary," said Kabuto as he passed his hand over his face, "Since everything will be decided by you." As Kabuto lowered his hand, the wound he had across his face was gone, with no sign it had ever existed.

Orochimaru disappeared in a puff of smoke, though his voice lingered to say, "Heh, I like that intelligence of yours, good work."

(0o0o0)

"There's no one here…" said Sasuke. Team Seven stared at the empty hall that greeted them after they opened their door. The only thing in the room was a large message on the wall. The three genin walked up to the wall, Sasuke managing to stand on his own without Hinata's help now that they had stopped moving.

"Without Heaven, what the hell does that mean?" asked Naruto.

"It looks like its missing words there," said Hinata as she looked at some gaps in the message.

"This is probably about the scrolls, I think they're telling us to open the scrolls," said Sasuke. Naruto and Hinata pulled out the scrolls they had, one heaven and one earth, and each took one.

"Alright, let's open them up!" said Naruto.

Both Naruto and Hinata opened their scroll, revealing a large character in the center of a circle of words. "Hito? Jin?" asked Hinata. "Why would they write person in these circles?"

All three genins' eyes widened as a bulge formed in the scroll as smoke rose up from it. "Summoning scroll, throw it away!" yelled Naruto as he tossed the scroll he was holding away. Hinata did the same and the two scrolls were obscured by a large cloud of smoke. All three genin assumed a battle stance in preparation for a fight. The smoke slowly cleared to reveal…

"IRUKA-SENSEI!" yelled Naruto.

"Hey, long time no see," said Iruka as he smiled at his former students.

"What's going on?" asked Hinata.

"I'd say you guys ran into some trouble," said Iruka as he took in Naruto's lack of fox ears and tails, Hinata's cuts and bruises, and Sasuke's hidden exhaustion from using almost all his chakra.

"Why were you summoned Iruka-sensei?" asked Sasuke.

"At the end of the second test it's set up so we Chunin meet up with the exam takers, and I was allowed to be the one to greet you," said Iruka as he pulled a large pocket watch out of his vest and opened it. "Phew, made it just in time," he said with a smile before closing the watch. "The second test, all three of you pass, congratulations! To celebrate your successful completion of the second test, I'd like to buy you a round of ramen but…" here Iruka realized all three genin were being very quiet and opened his eyes, "Huh?"

"WE DID IT!" yelled Naruto as he tackled Iruka in a hug. Hinata giggled as Sasuke mumbled about stamina freaks. "We did it, we did it! I'm so happy!" cheered the blond as he danced around.

"Looks like you still have a hard time relaxing," said Iruka with a smile.

"Iruka-sensei, what would you have done if we had opened the scrolls during the test?" asked Hinata. Her question managed to quiet Naruto and stop him from jumping around.

"As you have probably heard, this test's rules are set up to test your ability to perform missions correctly, so if you were to break the rules and open the scrolls, those exam takers would be put into a state of unconsciousness for the remaining period of the test. Those were my orders," said Iruka.

"Good thing we didn't have an urge to open the scrolls," muttered Sasuke, causing both Naruto and Hinata to nod vigorously.

"Iruka-sensei, what's the meaning of the writing on the wall? It seems like a word is missing, we can't figure it out," asked Hinata.

"I'm also here to explain that," said Iruka with a smile. "This is the motto of the Chunin written by Hokage-sama. The 'heaven' in this paragraph refers to the human mind, and the 'earth' refers to the human body. 'If you lack heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared,' that's basically, for example, if Naruto's weakness is his brain, 'Gain knowledge and prepare yourself for the missions,' 'If you lack earth, fun in the field and seek advantages.' So if Hinata's weakness is stamina, then it's saying you must continue to train hard. And if you have both heaven and earth, you can succeed in even the most dangerous mission. So basically all missions become safe and easy."

"Then the part with the missing word?" asked Hinata.

Iruka chuckled and held up the earth scroll saying, "So, if the words that represent a Chunin, the 'person' word from the scrolls goes there. The last sentence is 'These rules will guide a person's extremes'. These five days of survival were to test the exam taker's basic abilities to become a Chunin, and you guys successfully pass that. Chunin are at the rank of military captain, you have the responsibility of guiding a team. Knowledge, stamina, and inner wisdom, are all needed for your duties. I want you guys to challenge the next step with this Chunin motto in mind. That is all I have to pass on to you."

"Roger!" said Naruto as he saluted his sensei. Iruka's expression slowly became slightly worried, a look Naruto had seen plenty of times when Iruka was about to tell the class something important.

"But this third and final test, don't push yourselves to hard. Especially you Naruto, you don't look your best right no-"

"From the moment I received this Leaf Hitai-ate, I was no longer an academy student! There is no need to worry! And this is a symbol that I'm all grown up, right? The part about me never relaxing may not have changed, but I'm not a kid anymore! Now, I'm a proud shinobi of Konoha!" exclaimed Naruto. Sasuke and Hinata grinned at their team mate, Hinata's eyes had little hearts in them as she heard her Naruto-kun give such a passion filled statement.

"I see, I'm sorry Naruto. I had my doubts but you've crushed them completely. I wish all three of you the best of luck in the third part of the exam," said Iruka. Team Seven then walked into a large area with a giant statue of hands forming the ram seal where the other teams who had passed the second test waited. Kabuto's team, Team Kunoichi, Team 8, 10, and Neji's team were all there from Konoha. The Sound team was also there and gave some dirty glares to Team Seven and Team Kunoichi. The last team to make it to this part of the test was the team from Hidden Sand consisting of Gaara and his siblings. Each team's Jounin-sensei was in the room as well as Sarutobi, Ken, Kyuubi, Ibiki, several Jounins that only Naruto recognized, and Anko.

Anko stepped forward and said, "Congratulations on passing the second round!" 'heh, there's more here than I thought. We started out with 78 and now there are 24 that made it this far. I said I'd cut them in half, but I was expecting single digits.'

"Your team looks like they had a hard time," Gai whispered to Kakashi. Kakashi nodded, having noticed right away that Naruto and Sasuke were not at their best. Naruto always kept his fox ears and tails visible to intimidate opponents and not seeing them was a good sign he had run into trouble in the forest.

Lee looked around the genin gathered in the room and grinned as he thought, 'Yosh, Neji-kun, Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-kun are all here! I hope I get to fight one of them!'

'You were right Ken, these rookies are the best we've had in a long time,' thought Sarutobi as he stared at the number of Konoha Rookie teams present.

"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test. Listen carefully," said Anko. Ken stepped forward and started to explain the true purpose of the Chunin exam.

Naruto yawned, he had heard this speech before when he was little and first asked his father about the Chunin Exam. The explanation was in his note book, 'HOW TO BE HOKAGE', and he didn't feel like listening to the speech again. (I'm sorry if any of you wanted to hear this, but it's really boring and dull to me so I'm not going to write it) Ken was just about to explain the third test when a cough interrupted him.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama," said a Jounin that appeared in the middle of the arena, "From here on, as the referee, will you allow me, Gekkou Hayate, to explain?"

"By all means," said Ken as he gestured for the Jounin to address the gathered Genin.

"Hello everyone, I'm Hayate," said the man as he turned around to reveal a sickly looking face, "umm, before the third test, there's something I'd like you to do. Umm, it's a preliminary for the third test, to decide who gets to participate in the main event."

"Preliminary?" asked Hinata.

"Why do we need a preliminary? We all risked our lives to get here!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Umm, because the first and second tests may have been too easy this year, we have a bit too many people remaining," said Hayate. "According to Chunin Exam rules, we must have a preliminary round reduce the number of participants for the third test. As Hokage-sama said, there will be many guests at the third test, so the fights could take too long and we're limited in time." There were murmurs running through the small crowd of Genin at this announcement, everyone was suddenly realizing they wouldn't get a chance to go to the third round. "umm, so anyway, those who are not feeling well and those who feel like quitting after hearing these explanations, please come forward now, since we will be starting the preliminary immediately."

"Umm, I'm going to quit!" said Kabuto as he raised his hand.

"Kabuto-san?" asked Naruto.

"umm, you're Yakushi Kabuto from Konoha, right?" asked Hayate as he looked through a pile of papers, presumably one each per genin in the room. "You may leave now. Oh, umm, I forgot to tell you that from here on it will be individual battling. You may raise your hand based on your own judgment."

"Kabuto-san, why are you quitting?" asked Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but my body is all beat up. Actually, I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear from the time I got attacked by the Sound shinobi from the first round, and now that we'll have to risk our lives, I just…" Naruto looked at the ground disappointment clear on his face.

(0o0o0)

"I've seen him before, didn't he quit during the final round last year? What's he thinking?" asked Ken.

Anko looked through her folder containing the history of each participant in the third round and said, "Yakushi Kabuto's data, he's failed six straight times."

"What kind of record is that?" asked Ken as he raised one eyebrow.

"He's an average shinobi since his academy days, 14 D-rank and two C-rank missions, but it's his record from before the academy that is interesting," said Anko.

"I remember now, that young boy who was brought back from the battle at Bellflower pass," said Kyuubi, "A Jounin from the medical team brought back a child of the enemy who survived the battle, I treated him myself. So he's that child…"

(0o0o0)

'You sure are devoted, let me handle everything, is what I'd like to say but,' thought Kabuto as he stared at the only Hidden Sound Jounin present, 'Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, I would have liked to play with you a little longer but, anymore and the old blood will start boiling. I am a spy after all, I can't reveal my true face here.' The Sound Jounin gave a barely noticeable nod of his head. 'Perfect, if you will be watching them my job of gathering information is done, Orochimaru-sama.'

'You've been a spy, hiding in your fake self since you were a child, look like you are trying your best to hold down that boiling blood,' thought Orochimaru. Disguised as the Sound Jounin and using special soaps to mask his scent from Kyuubi's nose, the Snake Senin grinned inside his head at the way his spy had played his role.

Kabuto exchanged a few words with his dark spectacled team mate before waving to Naruto and his team and walking out of the arena. 'I'll save the fun for some other time, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun,' thought Kabuto as soon as no one could see the evil smirk on his face.

Sasuke's eyes followed Kabuto out of the room until a sudden jolt of pain hit him from the mark on his shoulder. 'The waves of pain are becoming more frequent,' he thought as he placed his hand on the mark.

"Hey Sasuke, you all right?" asked Naruto. Hinata and Haku leaned over, they also figured out what was wrong since Sasuke hadn't suffered any wounds since the fight with the Rain shinobi.

"Heh, I'm fine, just quivering with excitement is all," said Sasuke with a smirk as he willed himself to ignore the pain.

"Alright, but as soon as your fight is done you're going to see Oka-san!" growled Naruto.

(0o0o0)

"I thought so," murmured Kyuubi as she saw Sasuke clutch his shoulder.

"What should we do?" asked Ibiki.

"We should remove him from the exam and have the ANBU watching over and protecting him," said Anko.

"No, he won't agree to that easily," said Ken with a small smile. "Sasuke wants to prove himself worthy of calling himself our son and he won't give up any more than Naruto will."

"Hokage-sama, please reconsider! By just releasing chakra the curse becomes active and forcibly pulls out chakra. It's a forbidden jutsu which eats at the user's body. It's amazing that Sasuke has held on for so long, he should be dead!" exclaimed Anko.

"Anko-san, I know full well what the effects of the curse seal are," said Kyuubi. "My mate is right in saying that Sasuke will refuse to quit. Also, Orochimaru threatened to destroy Konoha if the exam is cancelled. No doubt he wants to see what Sasuke can do. We'll let Sasuke continue and monitor the situation."

"If the curse begins opening and releasing power, then jump in and stop him," said Ken. All the Jounin nodded.

"Um, now let's begin the preliminary. This preliminary consists of one on one fighting. You will basically be fighting as if your life is on the line in a real life confrontation. Since we now have 23 contenders, one lucky person will receive a free pass to the next round with the winners of the other twelve matches. There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you is knocked out or admits your defeat. Umm, if you don't want to die, admit your defeat quickly. But when I decide a winner has clearly been established, umm, since we're trying to decrease the amount of corpses, I'll jump right in and stop things. And the object that controls your destiny is.."

"Open it," said Anko into her microphone headset. A panel in the wall moved up to reveal an electronic scoreboard.

"Is this electronic scoreboard which will show the matches for each fight," said Hayate. "Now, this is sudden but let's announce the names of the first two contestants."

Everyone watched the scoreboard while wondering if they would have to go first. The board suddenly revealed two names: Uchiha Sasuke and Tenten.

"Well, this should be interesting," said Sasuke. He knew very little about Tenten, only that she was supposed to be one of the strongest Kunoichi of her generation.

"Will everyone but the participants please move to the observation balconies?" asked Hayate. Everyone did as the sickly Jounin asked. Ken and Kyuubi joined Hinata and Naruto while the other Jounins stood by their teams. Kakashi however had stopped to talk to Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

"Don't use the Sharingan," said Kakashi quietly.

"So you know," said Sasuke.

"If that curse on your neck becomes active, you could lose your life."

"Probably."

"Well, if that happens I'll jump in and stop the fight, go that?"

Sasuke nodded, but inwardly he seethed that he wouldn't be allowed to continue.

(0o0o0)

As Kakashi reached his team, Kyuubi placed one hand on Naruto's head and he instantly felt a trickle of chakra flowing into him from her. It wasn't enough to fill him up, but enough that he could manage a few seconds of foxfire before he had to stop using the blue flame. "Thanks Oka-san," he whispered. "But Sasuke has this weird seal on his shoulder, you need to look at it as soon as the match is over."

"I know," said Kyuubi, "I'm going to grab him as soon as he's done." A yell of Hajime (Begin) from Hayate brought everyone's attention back to the combatants.

"Good luck Tenten, youth power!" yelled Lee, causing Tenten to sweat drop at how lame he sounded as Gai told him to cheer harder.

(0o0o0)

"Sasuke, I must say that it is an honor to fight you," said Tenten.

Sasuke smiled, Tenten had never been one of the girls to chase after him. "I'm glad if I have to fight a girl it's you, not one of the annoying ones like Sakura or Ino," he said. Up in the observation walkways, Ino and Sakura had fallen to their knees with tears running down their faces.

"Well, let's get this started!" said Tenten as she pulled a bunch of kunai from her supply pouch and hurled them at Sasuke. The Uchiha boy easily dodged the kunai before grabbing one of his Fuuma Shuriken and hurling it at Tenten. Tenten easily leapt over the weapon and back flipped away from Sasuke. To Sasuke's surprise, she landed beside the Fuuma Shuriken as it fell to the ground after hitting the wall and grabbed the weapon. "Oh, now this is a nice piece of work. Balance is excellent and the angle of the blades is perfect for making it return if it has enough room and doesn't hit anything," said Tenten as she examined the shuriken from all sides. Quicker than Sasuke could believe, Tenten threw the shuriken back at him and he was forced to slide under it to avoid the fast moving blade of death. This time, when the shuriken hit the wall it dug into it and stayed in it.

'She puts chakra into her weapons to make them faster and more accurate,' thought Sasuke. He charged Tenten before she could pull out any more weapons and the two of them engaged in a brief Taijutsu match before leaping apart. "You're very good, you've obviously put a lot of effort into your training," said Sasuke with a grin at fighting such a skilled opponent.

"So have you," said Tenten, "Now I'll show you my deadliest technique!" Tenten pulled two scrolls from her supply pouch and placed them on the ground standing up right with her an equal distance in between them. Sasuke watched, not sure what she was about to do. Tenten crossed her hands after forming a series of hand seals and a large smoke cloud appeared around her. The two scrolls suddenly released two dragons made of smoke that ascended into the air before becoming unrolled scrolls. Tenten yelled, "Soushouryu (Rising Twin Dragons)!" before she leapt up in between the two scrolls and started touching the symbols on them. Each symbol became a different weapon, ranging from kunai, scythes, daggers, flails, maces, and other bladed weapons. Each of these was hurled at Sasuke, who quickly activated his Sharingan to help him avoid them. Sasuke rolled clear of the attack, only to feel pain from the curse seal again.

'Shit, I forgot the curse! I can't use my Sharingan or any ninjutsu! Now what do I do!' thought Sasuke. The Uchiha was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of many pointy objects headed his way. Sasuke looked up to see all of the weapons Tenten had thrown coming at him again. 'Chakra strings!' thought Sasuke as he frantically ran for his life. Weapons were hitting the ground at his heels and he barely managed to stay ahead of them. Suddenly the attack stopped and Sasuke heard a gasp from Tenten. Looking up, he saw her arms appeared to be pinned to her sides. Looking in front of him, he saw he had run an almost complete circle around Tenten and it appeared that her chakra strings had apparently tied her up. Tenten started to fall down, but Sasuke could see she would be loose and able to continue the fight before she hit the ground.

"Hurry Sasuke!" yelled Naruto. Glancing at Naruto in irritation, Sasuke saw Rock Lee standing next to the blond.

'No chakra, that's it!' thought Sasuke. He charged towards Tenten, his mind replaying Lee's move from their short fight before the first round.

Lee gasped as he saw Sasuke drop to the ground beneath Tenten and kick upwards, hitting the kunoichi in the chest and propelling her into the air. "That's my!" he gasped.

"Lee's Initial lotus!" Tenten gasped before she felt Sasuke beneath her.

"But from here I'm going original," said the Uchiha boy. "Sorry about this, Kage Buyou!" Sasuke connected himself to Tenten's shadow, then let out a cough of blood as the curse seal activated. 'Shit not now!' he thought. The markings started to spread and all the Jounin prepared to leap in and stop the match. 'I won't let this thing control me!' shouted Sasuke in his mind. The curse seal marking retreated, not very quickly, but everyone who knew about how the seal worked was amazed. Sasuke grinned as he said, "Sorry to keep you waiting Tenten, but this ends now!" Sasuke kicked at Tenten's rib with his left leg as he pushed off her back slightly. Tenten barely managed to block the blow, grunting from the impact. Sasuke then did a 360 degree flip in midair and Tenten thought he was about to kick her with his right leg. Instead, Sasuke drove his left hand into her face, sending her towards the ground. This was followed by a left handed blow to Tenten's stomach. Tenten's arms snapped up on reflex and Sasuke did a forward flip to bring his left foot down on her arms with a cry of "Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo)!" just before they slammed into the ground. Sasuke used his left arm to brace himself and tried to back flip into a ready stance in case Tenten was able to keep going only to fall flat on his face. Tenten groaned as she lay on the ground.

"You held back!" she gasped.

"I didn't want Lee and Neji to be out for blood," muttered Sasuke. "Besides, I didn't expect your arms to block that last kick. Good reflexes."

"Thanks, good luck in the next round," said Tenten before she closed her eyes and raised her hand to say, "I resign, there's no way I'm standing up!"

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke!" said Hayate.

Kyuubi was instantly at Tenten's side and scanning her body with a medical jutsu. "Well, you're a very lucky girl Tenten-chan. A few days of rest and I'll have you able to go home," she said with a smile. Two medic nin rushed up with a stretcher and carefully eased Tenten onto it. Sasuke meanwhile managed to regain his feet and stood up to Naruto's excited cheers while Haku, Sakura, and Ino all sighed as they gazed at him before engaging in a three way glare at each other.

Sasuke suddenly felt two pairs of glares directed at his back and turned to see Neji and Lee staring at him. 'Kuso, I held back and they still want to kill me!' he thought as a huge sweat drop appeared on the back of his head.

"Sasuke, good fight!" said Tenten. Sasuke grinned at her in reply, his hand unconsciously going to his shoulder as Kyuubi walked over.

"Sasuke, you are going with Kakashi right now and no buts!" she said. Sasuke nodded as Kakashi appeared beside him and prepared to lead him away.

"Naruto, Hinata, you two be sure to win your fights!" said Sasuke. The two nodded and Sasuke reluctantly allowed Kakashi to take him away. No one besides the Sound trio noticed their Jounin sensei disappear.

As soon as the arena was clear, everyone looked to the electronic scoreboard for the next match. Hayate coughed and said, "The next two fighters are Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Akemi! Will both fighters please enter the arena?"

Akemi cheered and leapt down to the arena floor, while Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome." The lazy boy started to walk down the stairs only to be tripped by one of Gishou's tails as it suddenly shot out into his path. Shikamaru fell down the steps, ending up face down on the ground and spat a bit of dirt out of his mouth.

"Oops," was all the Gishou could say, though the grin on his face made it hard to believe.

'Note to self, make Naruto kiss something nasty, like Sasuke, real soon for letting his pet trip me!' thought Shikamaru as he picked himself up.

"Go Shikamaru! You'd better not lose!" yelled Ino.

"You're a Nara, distantly related to the Tamahashi clan, right?" asked Akemi. Shikamaru nodded, his hands in his pockets.

"Ready?" asked Hayate. When both genin nodded, he yelled "Hajime!" and leapt back out of the way.

Akemi immediately fired off her Tetsugen. The kunai shot towards Shikamaru, who simply ducked under it. Akemi frowned and sent the kunai downwards. Shikamaru rolled to the side, always moving as little as possible. Akemi retracted the kunai and charged Shikamaru. The Nara boy leaned out of the way of the multiple punches Akemi threw, his hands still in his pockets. When Akemi suddenly spun around and grabbed Shikamaru with her tails, everyone gasped in surprise. Shikamaru's eyes widened for a second before he took a kunai and held it to the base of Akemi's tail. "Drop me or I cut them off!" he said. Akemi froze, any kitsune who had their tail cut off was disgraced and ridiculed. The kitsune girl slowly lowered Shikamaru to the ground before leaping clear of him.

"Very good, I won't make the mistake of letting you get near my tails again!" she growled. "Foxfire!" the blue flames sprang up in Akemi's hands and she hurled the flame at Shikamaru. Shikamaru tossed something on the ground and a cloud of smoke surrounded him. The blue flames shot right through the smoke, indicating Shikamaru had ducked. Akemi grinned and shot her Tetsugen towards Shikamaru as the smoke was blasted away by her flame. The lazy boy ducked to the side and grabbed the kunai before Akemi could react. Akemi grunted and prepared to charge forward again, only to find her momentum halted. "Why can't I move?" she yelled.

"Kagemane (Shadow mimicry) no jutsu complete!" said Shikamaru.

"How did you?" asked Akemi before her eyes widened and focused on the cable connected to the kunai in Shikamaru's grasp. "You used the shadow of the wire to perform you Kagemane, right?" she asked. Shikamaru nodded lazily before he started side stepping and Akemi was forced to follow his actions. When Shikamaru had Akemi where he wanted her, he grabbed a shuriken from his holster, while Akemi did the same.

"What are you doing? We'll both be hit!" said Akemi.

Shikamaru didn't say anything as they both threw their shuriken. At the last second, Shikamaru bent over backwards. Akemi's eyes widened as she saw the wall the back of her head was about to hit. 'Kuso, this is going to hurt!' Akemi thought before her mind descended into blackness as her head hit the arena wall.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru!" said Hayate.

"Yay, now can I get some rest?" asked Shikamaru with a yawn as he walked towards the upper level to rejoin Ino and Chouji. Kyuubi checked Akemi over and decided she would be fine resting on the upper level and would awaken soon.

Hayate glanced at the scoreboard and said, "Would Abumi Zaku and Haku please come down to the arena?"

Haku disappeared in a swirl of leaves, only to reappear on one side of Hayate. Zaku took his time and walked down the stairs. Haku noted a slight twitching in his arms, which told her trained eyes that both his arms were working perfectly fine. She had heard the sound of the arms breaking when Sasuke and Naruto took their revenge on him for harming Hinata, and the breaks had been clean ones, something that was easily fixed in the three days after the fight by any medic nin.

Once both shinobi were facing each other, Hayate yelled, "Hajime!" before leaping out of the way.

Haku grinned as she pulled a blue scroll from her supply pouch and nicked her finger on one of her teeth before pressing the bloody digit to the seal on the scroll. Zaku stared at the girl like she was crazy before she whipped the scroll open. The Sound boy had a moment to stare at the beautiful picture of a series of waves drawn along the scroll before the images became real and water poured out of the scroll. "Much better, now I can get serious," said Haku with a predatory grin. "You hurt one of my best friends and now it's payback time!"

"You mean that blue haired bitch? Feh, she's lucky I didn't get serious or she wouldn't be alive!" snarled Zaku.

An immense killing intent suddenly filled the room and everyone looked at Naruto, whose gaze was focused on Zaku. "Haku-chan, kick his ass!" roared the kitsune boy.

"I plan to!" exclaimed Haku, who had never taken her eyes off Zaku.

"Oh yeah? Have a taste of my Zankuuha!" The boy suddenly raised his arms, revealing that they were perfectly fine, and fired an air blast at Haku, who turned into water as the attack hit her. "Mizu Bushin?"

All the watching members of Team Kunoichi grinned as Haku rose up from the wet ground behind Zaku and formed her one handed seals in a sequence Sasuke would have recognized if he had been there. 'Hijutsu, Sensatsu Suisho (Secret Skill: Flying water needles)!' Haku thought as the water she had released earlier formed many icy needles. Zaku stared in surprise for a second, he hadn't heard Haku appear behind him and the sight of the needles appearing suddenly had startled him. Thus he barely had time to cover his head as the needles zeroed in on him. Haku grinned once she had finished her attack, especially when Zaku seemed to survive. "Please, any medic nin worth their position could tell that your arms had been healed by now, even if you only arrived half an hour ago, especially with Kyuubi-sama here. I knew you were faking having your injured arms and ready to use them!" said Haku cheerfully.

"You bitch, you're going to pay for that! Zankuukyokuha!" yelled Zaku. To everyone's surprise, his arms exploded at the elbow, throwing Zaku back into the far arena wall while his hands fell at Haku's feet.

"Idiot, you didn't even notice when a senbon went into each hole on your hand before melting and forming an airtight seal inside your arms. If I had wanted to, my first attack would have killed you. It was all a diversion to allow me to take out your arms," said Haku.

Up in the spectators' area, Ino and Sakura's faces had turned pale as Haku calmly described how she rid Zaku of his arms. 'No wonder Sasuke-kun likes her, she's a true kunoichi, able to keep her cool in battle and very skilled,' thought Ino.

Down below, a Medic nin had rushed over to get Zaku stabilized. Strangely, Kyuubi didn't make a move to help them. When Ken gave her a questioning glance, the fox woman sighed and said, "I'm afraid I would cut off something else very important to him if I was alone with him after what he said about Hinata." Ken winced, the last thing he needed was a genin being castrated by his wife during the Chunin Exam.

"Winner, Haku!" said Hayate, to cheers from the Konoha genin that knew Haku. Haku grinned and bowed to her audience before walking back up the stairs.

Everyone's eyes turned to the scoreboard, eager to see who would be fighting the fourth match. The board quickly revealed the names Inuzuka Kiba vs. Temari.

"Yahoo, we're up Akamaru!" yelled Kiba as he leapt down to the arena floor with Akamaru inside the front of his jacket. The nin dog jumped out of his resting place and landed by his friend's side. Temari's entrance was not as exciting, she simply walked down the stairs.

"Combatants ready?" asked Hayate. When he received a nod from each, he yelled, "Hajime!" and leapt out of the way.

"Ninpou: Shijayaju no Tenketsu Jutsu!" exclaimed Kiba as his hands transformed to look like Naruto's normally did. Naruto grinned, Kiba had mastered this particular jutsu in the hope of being able to finally beat Naruto at taijutsu. Both boys could use their claws to devastating effect and when working together had reduced a training log to splinters in a few seconds. Temari blinked in surprise at Kiba's transformation, and that moment of surprise was all Kiba needed. The dog boy was in Temari's face in a second and shoulder tackled her, sending her through the air. Temari managed to land on her feet and skidded back a bit before managing to bring herself to a stop.

'He's pretty fast, but what's with that dog?' thought Temari before she saw Kiba palm something. 'Smoke bomb?' thought the sand kunoichi.

"Let's go Akamaru!" exclaimed Kiba. The little dog let out a bark and the duo charged Temari, who raised her fan in preparation to open it and blast the duo away. Temari's eyes narrowed as Kiba hurled the smoke bomb and she swung her fan like a bat, hitting the smoke bomb right back to Kiba, who got hit in the chest. The cloud of smoke obscured everyone's view of Kiba and Akamaru.

Everyone waited for Kiba or Akamaru to appear, but the only sound they heard from the smoke cloud was the sound of something being chewed. The smoke disappeared to reveal a changed Akamaru beside Kiba. The little dog's fur was now red and he looked a little bigger. "What the hell did you do to him?" asked Temari.

Kiba smirked as he popped a pill into his mouth and said, "That's why he's called Akamaru! The soldier pill I gave him increased his power and turned his fur red." Akamaru then leapt onto Kiba's back as the dog boy formed the tiger seal. "Here we go Akamaru!" Akamaru let out a few barks, which Naruto, Kyuubi, and Gishou were able to understand as "Juuijuin Bushin (Beast/Human clone)!" Kiba yelled the same thing and suddenly Akamaru turned into a clone of Kiba.

(0o0o0)

"Heh, so he finally mastered it? Looks like we'll have to have a sparring session with them soon Gishou," said Naruto.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"That jutsu allows Kiba to release his body's chakra and attack like a wild beast, plus the pills boosted both his own chakra and Akamaru's. I tried to do the same thing with Gishou, but my kitsune blood became stronger when we did it and we had to abandon the idea of using the Juuiuin Bushin because there was a chance I could go out of control," said Naruto as one of his arms wrapped around Hinata and the other scratched Gishou's ear.

(0o0o0)

Down below, both of the Kiba clones leapt into the air and would have slammed Temari into the ground if she had stayed still. Instead, the fan wielding girl leapt backwards and used her fan to shield herself from the resulting rubble tossed up by the impact. 'He's faster now, I doubt I can easily get away,' thought Temari. 'Time to stop holding back… oh shit!'

Temari frantically dove to the side as Kiba yelled, "Gatsuuga (Piercing fang)!" Both Kiba and Aka-kiba became mini tornadoes that sped towards Temari.

Temari quickly opened and swung her fan and yelled, "Ninpou Kamaitachi (Ninja art: Slashing Wind) no jutsu!" the wind generated by Temari's fan slammed into Kiba and Akamaru, knocking them out of their attack and into the arena wall.

Hayate stepped forward and examined Kiba, who said, "Ow!" before collapsing into unconsciousness.

"Winner, Temari!" said Hayate. The sand kunoichi snorted and stalked back up the stairs to her place beside her brothers while medic nin carefully pried Kiba and Akamaru out of the wall. The two were going to be out for a while, but they would wake up in a few hours.

Akemi woke up just before the medics could carry Kiba and Akamaru to a quiet room to rest and ran down the stairs to stare at Kiba's face. The boy's nose twitched and his head tilted towards Akemi a bit and he muttered something before falling back into a deep sleep. Akemi blushed; her ears had caught what Kiba said. He had said, "Smells nice, must be Akemi." Akemi knew Kiba had developed a crush on her after spending a few days with him and found she enjoyed spending time with him and Akamaru. To hear he thought she smelled good was a good sign that he liked her back.

Akemi bent over and kissed Kiba on the cheek gently as she whispered, "I'll be there to see you soon Kiba-kun, just wait until all the matches are over."

Up above, Naruto and Haku were staring at Akemi's actions and resolved to pay Kiba a visit and impress upon him what would happen if the dog user made their little sister sad.

Everyone's eyes turned to the board, which displayed the names Hyuga Neji vs. Yamanaka Ino. Ino's face paled a bit, she knew she was in for a rough fight against the previous year's number one rookie. 'Shit, and a Hyuga to boot! This is not good. I'm pretty sure I couldn't win against Hinata in close range combat and Neji is supposed to be even better. I'm going to have to hope I connect with my Shintenshin (Mind body switch) no jutsu on the first shot or I'm dead!'

Neji on the other hand was smirking as he mentally estimated how long this match would take. 'She may be stronger than that pink haired girl after the Uchiha, but she's no where near Hinata's level. I think I heard about her clan, they use some kind of mind control jutsu, so I'll have to be ready for anything,'

Neji easily leapt down to the arena floor Ino took a bit longer, walking down, her mind racing as she tried to figure out a way to distract Neji long enough for her to use her Shintenshin no jutsu. Her eyes widened as she suddenly came up with an idea. 'That just might work!' she thought.

Both genin faced each other and Hayate looked from one to the other. "Ready?" he asked. Both Ino and Neji nodded and Hayate yelled, "Hajime!" before leaping out of the way.

Ino immediately began a string of seals as Neji activated his Byakugan. What happened next surprised everyone. Ino finished her seal sequence and it wasn't one anybody recognized, even Kakashi. "Kaben (Flower Petal) Shuriken!" said Ino as a bunch of large flower petals appeared around her before turning hard as steel and shooting towards Neji.

"Impressive, but not good enough! Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Neji before he executed the heavenly spin. To everyone's surprise, the giant flower petals disappeared when they hit the wall of chakra like they were never there. Neji finished his spin just in time to see a ghost version of Ino shooting towards him. 'Shit, a Genjutsu to distract me and leave me open, I thought there wasn't enough chakra going into those hand seals to do anything so big!' Neji thought just before Ino's Shintenshin hit him.

Ino looked around, Neji's mind was a lot bigger than she had expected. Her family had found that everyone's mind reflected their personality. For her it was a large version of her family flower shop that made her feel she was a little kid again and safe under her parent's presences. Shikamaru's was a giant Shoji board with all his friends as the pieces, while Chouji's was a giant restaurant. Neji's was not that surprisingly a training dojo. Pictures of his family and friends lined the walls and a training dummy with the curse seal of the branch family on it represented Neji's hate to the old Hyuga customs. Ino suddenly felt a presence behind her and spun around to see Neji glaring at her.

"You know, messing around with people's minds isn't very nice," growled Neji before he charged Ino. Ino instantly knew she was in trouble, Neji had his Byakugan active and was pissed. "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" yelled Neji as he rapidly closed Ino's Tenketsu. Ino slumped to the ground and coughed before forming the seal to return her to her own body. Neji smirked as Ino faded from view and he regained control of his body.

To everyone who had been watching, Neji had done his attack on an invisible opponent and Ino's body had reacted, making an interesting sight. Ino fell to her knees and coughed up a bit of blood before she fainted. "Winner, Hyuga Neji!" said Hayate. Medic nin rushed Ino to the recovery room while Neji walked back upstairs and leaned against the rail beside Naruto and Hinata.

All eyes turned to the board, eager to see who the next fight would be. Naruto was practically bouncing up and down as he willed the board to show his name. Lee was doing pretty much the same thing and also begging the board to let him fight Naruto. When the names appeared, Naruto let out a cheer while Lee slumped over in despair. "Will Uzumaki Naruto and Akadou Yoroi please come down here?" asked Hayate.

Naruto reluctantly removed his arm from Hinata's shoulder and gave her a smile before turning towards the stairs, only to have Hinata grab the back of his jacket, spin him around, and kiss him hard on the lips. Naruto's eyes widened and if his tails had been visible they would have all been stiff as a board with surprise. Haku, Aki, and Akemi all sighed as Naruto leaned into the kiss, while Lee was ranting about the passion of youth. Neji was surprised at first before he started glaring at Naruto. As the two came up for air, Naruto immediately felt Neji's stare and sweat dropped. "Good luck Naruto-kun," said Hinata with a smile that reminded Naruto of the sun shining through the clouds.

"Thanks Hinata-chan, I plan to kick this guy's ass!" said Naruto with his usual foxy grin. Naruto easily flipped down to the arena floor where his opponent was waiting.

'Looks like he hasn't gotten the seal Orochimaru-sama placed on him removed yet, this will be easy,' thought the man as he took in Naruto's lack of fox ears and tails.

Meanwhile Orochimaru, in his disguise as the Sound Jounin, was observing Naruto. No one had noticed his brief departure to check up on Sasuke and finding Kakashi sealing the curse seal. 'It appears that fox brat has realized he has only a small fraction of his youki available thanks to my seal. This should be interesting. Sasuke-kun is my first choice but Naruto-kun would make a fine second,' he thought

"Ready?" asked Hayate. Both Naruto and Yoroi nodded. "Hajime!" yelled Hayate as he leapt out of the way. The Jounin had learned the hard way not to get between Naruto and his target when he had taken his turn to baby sit the hanyou. Hayate made the mistake of getting between Naruto and his ramen dinner and woke up to find himself face down on the floor with Naruto sitting on his back eating the delicious noodles. Hayate's cough was said to have come from Naruto's weight crushing his lungs, though Hayate said he had been born with the cough.

"Are you ready?" asked Yoroi as he formed the tiger seal. His only reply was a very Sasuke like smirk on Naruto's face. Yoroi's right hand was suddenly glowing with blue chakra that for one minute had Naruto thinking he was using fox fire. The older genin reached into his supply pouch and quickly withdrew and threw three shuriken, only to see Naruto deflect them back towards their thrower with Nenshousaiga. The kitsune boy dashed forward and attempted to slash Yoroi as he used the shuriken as cover. Yoroi ducked under the shuriken and swept Naruto off his feet. The blond genin rolled away from his opponent, only to see Yoroi's blue shrouded fist heading towards his head. Naruto kicked the older man's feet out from under him and leapt back, waiting for Yoroi to make the next move.

Yoroi charged in, his fist cocked back to slug Naruto. Only he wasn't aiming for Naruto, but Nenshousaiga. Naruto was caught with his grip loose by this unusual tactic and Nenshousaiga went flying into the air to land blade down in the arena floor. Yoroi's blue flame covered hand now shot forward as he grabbed Naruto's shirt. Naruto suddenly felt his chakra diminishing. 'What's going on? My strength…is fading?' Naruto quickly kicked Yoroi in the chest, but his strength wasn't enough to get the older genin to let go. 'Damn, no chakra, no strength, and no youki, what the hell is going on here?' Naruto's eyes suddenly widened and he stared at Yoroi's hand. "You…you're draining my chakra!" he gasped.

"So you finally noticed? My bloodline allows me to suck my opponent's physical and spiritual energy right out of them by touching them with my palm. You're the first hanyou I've tried this on, so I hope you last a little bit longer!" said Yoroi.

Naruto tried to spit in the man's face but let out a scream of pain as his chakra level dropped rapidly. Thinking rapidly, Naruto did what many would say would be a desperate maneuver at best. "Henge!" yelled Naruto, drawing on his remaining chakra. The cloud of smoke caused Yoroi to cough and let Naruto go. When the smoke cleared, all the boys had to fight a massive nosebleed as Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu form was revealed. Naruto quickly back flipped away from Yoroi, making all the guys eyes widen as the smoke wisps weren't quick enough to block everything. Naruto landed and dispelled the transformation and allowing all the guys to refocus their attention on the fight. "Sorry about that everyone, it was the easiest jutsu I could think of to startle him," said Naruto as he felt the killing glares all the guys were sending him. "Okay, you can all beat me up later after I kick this guy's ass if it makes you feel better!" he yelled. Seeing Yoroi was preparing to attack again, Naruto quickly tried to figure out a way to beat the older genin at Taijutsu. An idea came to him as he replayed Sasuke's fight with Tenten in his head. 'That just might work, I have enough Youki for a single foxfire burst. I'll have to time it just right…'

Yoroi charged at Naruto, who formed the Tiger seal before yelling, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" four clones appeared, two on each side of Naruto. As Yoroi went for the center Naruto, the clone stepped forward and poured all of its chakra into his right fist. Naruto's fist met Yoroi's face as the boy yelled, "U" Three of the clones had darted around behind him before skidding underneath him and kicking him, the first one saying, "ZU" the second "MA" and the third "KI" as their kicks connected. The real Naruto had leapt off the first clone's back and was spinning in mid air at this point as Yoroi was propelled upward by the three kicks. As Naruto came down he stuck out his foot with fox fire covering it and drove it into Yoroi's back and yelling, "Naruto Ranran Rendan (Uzumaki Naruto Flaming Combo)!" Yoroi hit the ground face first and then Naruto crashed down on his back. What little breath was left in Yoroi's lungs was driven out and his head slammed into the ground hard enough to knock him out.

Hayate walked over and checked Yoroi, the man was out cold and wouldn't be getting up for a while. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto punched the air, then teetered and would have fallen if Ken hadn't appeared beside him and caught him. "You are going to rest now and let Hinata pamper you until you recover, understood?" he said to his son. Naruto nodded, a happy grin on his face as his father carried him back up the steps and leaned him against the wall. Hinata immediately snuggled up to Naruto and wished that his ears and tails were out so she could pet them. Kyuubi gave her son a hug for a job well done.

'Why is everyone ripping off my move?' Lee asked himself as he yelled, "Naruto-kun, the burning passion of youth you exhibit is a wondrous example to us all! Now I will face you in the final round or I will run around Konoha 500 times. And if I can't do that I'll punch and kick the log 1000 times!"

"Oh Lee, your burning youth is an example to all of just how strong we can be!" sobbed Gai.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Everyone else ignored the spandex clad duo and focused their attention on the board as they awaited the next match.

**And that another chapter done. Once again, I revised Tail 9, so re-read it and enjoy, hopefully I made it better. Next Tail we'll finish the preliminary round and show the training Naruto goes through in the month between the preliminary and the final round.**


	12. Tail 11: Prelims End, Plan to Train

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, now we're almost out of the Forest of Death and soon the next part of the Chunnin Exam will begin. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews; give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses_

_Fan of all Fics: Glad you like the new match ups. You're the first one to comment on Neji and Lee wanting to kill Sasuke, the poor guy can't get a break._

_RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: College sucks, I have to cram and make up for a bunch of missed classes. I write bits of the story during my free time in class and type up the rest later. I have several new moves for Shino and he'll get an awesome fight, just don't kill me at the end of this chapter and I'll explain everything._

_Maruku-Kenshin: You'll get your action in the Third round fights and the battle for Konoha. Lots of action there._

_Carmsfic: That… is a secret! All shall be revealed in time, just is patient._

_YaminekoByousai: I don't want to hurt Hinata, but Naruto swearing vengeance on her blood is one of the most dramatic things in the whole series. Rest assured she'll be back on her feet in no time and able to kick ass in the Sound and Sand invasion._

_Tombadgerlock: Lee will pass! The power of youth won't let him fail!_

_Ranma Hibiki: Yes, Lee should be happy everyone wants to copy his moves, which mean he's the best! Among the rookie boys he's my third favorite. First is Naruto and Second is Neji._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Naruto will be mastering some of his more powerful techniques and his chakra control since he already knows about his youki and how to use it._

_Story Weaver1: Sorry you had a hard time following the battles. Glad you loved Hinata's longing for her favorite Furry appendage, they shall return soon!_

_Shadow-Sensei: Glad you liked the chapter. Yes, Lee and Gai are weird, I though that your comment on Gai being gay was hilarious, I'll have to use some of that later._

_God in a Box: Glad you liked, I know the first part of that chapter wasn't the best, I'm glad you like the match ups so far._

_Byuu128: Glad to have you back. For your first question, that is a secret that will arrive in time. As for Jiraiya, just wait, I have much planned for him and he appears this chapter._

_IzanagiMikoto: You're close, but not quite right._

_Joecool4: You and me both. I've never seen Naruto use his perverted jutsu in a serious fight when it would be a great distraction, so I figured why not use it._

_xAkix: I eagerly await your next update. Feel free to do an Aki story tying into this one, just send me an e-mail detailing the time period it takes place in so I can make sure to notify you of all the changes from the original story I made that would effect it._

_Kortir: Thanks for being so understanding. I'm glad you like the changes in the preliminary match ups._

_Sevetenks the Ultimate F: I had forgotten about Kisame, but yes he to will be a hanyou. Thank you for reminding me! _

_Crazyhanyoued: I pride myself on my research, so tell your siblings that anything in my fic is either researched by me or taken from a very reliable source._

_Scorpio V1.2: I'm sorry to say that I'm not going to go into much detail on the battle between Orochimaru and the Third. Instead I'm going to focus on the genin having a more active role in the defense of their home, Ken, and Kyuubi._

_Aloi-chan: All shall be revealed soon, just wait and see._

_Draconous: Glad you liked the revisions. I'll definitely show Naruto's training, but I'm not sure how Kakashi trained Sasuke so I can't show that. But Naruto's training might be a bit of a surprise to you. I like my version of Sasuke better also. He was cool until he started acting full of himself and being the angst power hungry bastard we all hate. _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

**_Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String._**

**_Extra note of sadness: due to college work and real life, I'm going to have to change my update schedule from every week on Saturday to every two weeks to give me more time to work on each chapter and still get all my school work done._**

**_Extra note of more sadness: due to college Exams I will not be updating in the near future. Updates will resume by the start of June and their speed will depend on my getting a job._**

Everyone's eyes were focused on the board, which revealed the names Haruno Sakura and Tsuchi Kin. Sakura blinked, slightly nervous about her fight. Team Eight had encountered the Sand team in the forest and the memory of Gaara coldly killing the three Rain shinobi without mercy had haunted Sakura's mind ever since. The pink haired girl's sleep was plagued by nightmares of Gaara stalking her through a maze as he savored his chance to kill her, resulting in a lack of sleep. Thus Sakura was slow to react and walked down the stairs. Naruto could have sworn he heard her snoring but figured his ears were hearing something else. Sakura was certainly awake by the time she had reached Hayate's side.

Naruto decided to get Sakura's attention back on the match and yelled, "Sakura, get your head out of the clouds and kick her ass!" Sakura's head snapped towards Naruto and she stared at him for a second before she shook her head. Everyone could tell she was more alert now and Naruto was surprised to see a bit more muscle on Sakura than he remembered. "She's improved since the Academy," he said to Hinata, "It looks like she finally decided to take being a kunoichi seriously." Hinata nodded, though her eyes told her that Sakura wasn't as confident as she appeared.

"Participants ready?" asked Hayate. Both kunoichi nodded, neither one taking their eyes off their opponent. "Hajime!" said Hayate as he leapt backwards.

Kin started off by throwing senbon at Sakura, who barely managed to twist her body out of the way of the projectiles. The pink haired girl reached for her shuriken, only to find her body couldn't move. The slight tinkling of bells behind Sakura was the only clue the girl needed to figure everything out, 'Genjutsu!' she thought. Kurenai had performed a similar Genjutsu called Kane Komoriuta (Bell Lullaby) on one of their missions to get a bunch of toddlers to fall asleep; the ringing of the bells triggered the jutsu and put the kids to sleep. Kurenai had mentioned that the sounds emitted by the bells assaulted the victim's senses and was hard to break, unless you had excellent Chakra control like Sakura had. Sakura let her head slump down to hide her eyes as she mentally molded the chakra she would need.

Kin smirked and strutted towards Sakura with the attitude of someone who knew they were going to win. Her Genjutsu was very simplistic in idea, but difficult to perform since it was very effective. By attacking the pink haired girl's ears and thus her brain with sound waves, she affected Sakura's inner ear and made it seem like she couldn't move. All Kin had to do was put a kunai to Sakura's neck and she would be the winner of the match. Kin was so caught up in her upcoming victory that she didn't notice the slight gathering of chakra inside Sakura. 'Come on, just a little more,' thought Sakura. Kin finally reached the correct distance and Sakura's head snapped up as her arms formed the tiger seal. "Kai!" shouted Sakura and the illusion was broken. Kin froze for a second in shock and that was all it took for Sakura to form a series of hand seals before finishing with the same seal Naruto used for Kage Bunshin. 'Inner Sakura Bunshin!' though the girl. A grey clone of Sakura appeared beside the real Sakura, who seemed to slump to her knees as the grey Sakura caught her.

"Thanks, I'll take it from here," said Inner Sakura as she cracked her knuckles and gave Kin an evil grin. Before the Sound kunoichi could make a move Inner Sakura delivered a series of lightning fast punches to Kin before uppercuting the Sound kunoichi. Kin flew into the air and crashed down on the arena floor out cold. "Hell yeah!" yelled Inner Sakura as she punched the air before bending down next to the real Sakura, who had a big smile on her face, and touching her forehead. Real Sakura formed the tiger seal and said "Kai," causing Inner Sakura to retreat back into Sakura's mind. Sakura stood up, breathing heavily but able to stand on her own.

Hayate checked Kin and stood up, saying, "Winner, Haruno Sakura!" The medic nin took this as their cue to transport Kin to the hospital room in the tower.

"Way to go Sakura!" yelled Kiba. Shino merely gave the pink haired girl a small nod of recognition. Hinata and Naruto simply clapped, mainly because Lee was jumping up and down beside then yelling about Sakura's power of youth and making it impossible for anything they might have said to reach Sakura. As soon as Sakura was back on the observation deck, the board displayed the next two names, Tsurugi Misumi vs. Kankuro.

"Finally, my turn. Now I get to show these babies what a real shinobi is like," said the black clothed genin as he glanced across the room at the Konoha teams on the opposite observation deck. Naruto, Aki, Hinata, Neji, Lee, Haku, and Akemi glared back at him, causing him to stumble slightly from the killing intent they were focusing on him.

"We will now begin the next match," said Hayate once both opponents were facing each other. The referee leapt clear of the two, hoping he didn't have to interfere in this match.

Misumi cleared his throat before saying, "Unlike Yoroi, I go all out against little punks like you. I'll say it now, if I put my techniques on you it's over. Give up immediately, I'm going to end this quickly."

Kankuro reached to the strap holding the wrapped bundle on his back as he said, "Then I also will end this quickly," and set his bundle beside himself.

Misumi leapt forward as he cried, "I won't give you the chance to do anything!" and sent a jab towards Kankuro that the Sand Genin caught and blocked.

'Heh, this guy is weak!' thought Kankuro before he felt something brushing his arm. Looking down, Kankuro's eyes widened as Misumi's arm seemed to be made of rubber and flowed around his arm. The rest of the older Genin's body followed and Kankuro found himself in a full body hold with Misumi wrapped around him in such a way that Kankuro was beginning to indicate his opponent was not into girls. (Seriously, it looks like that in the manga, I kid you not!) Kankuro's bundle fell to the ground by his feet, out of reach.

"In order to gather information, my body has been altered to be able to fit into any space. So I can keep squeezing until I break your bones. If you don't give up I'll keep squeezing harder. I don't know what kind of Shinobi tools you use, but you can't do anything like this. Try anything and I won't wait for you to give up, I'll break your neck immediately. Hurry and give up," said Misumi as he tightened his grip slightly.

"Heh, no way," said Kankuro.

"Do you want to die?" asked Misumi.

"You're the one who's going to die," replied the make-up wearing genin. Misumi's eyes narrowed in rage and the next sound everyone heard was a loud SNAP as he broke Kankuro's neck before Hayate could make a move to stop him. All the Konoha Shinobi gasped in horror except for Naruto, Ayame, and the two Hyuuga.

"The puppet user has this match won," said Naruto to Hinata. The blue haired girl nodded, not taking her eyes off the wrapped bundle now lying on the floor. Several chakra strings connected it to Kankuro's body and she could see why her father had said a puppeteer should fear a Hyuuga.

"Damn baka, you made me kill you," muttered Misumi.

Kankuro's head suddenly spun around 180 degrees to face Misumi and he said, "Then is it my turn now?" Everyone's eyes widened as cracks appeared on Kankuro's face, revealing a wooden surface beneath the make-up. Wooden arms sprouted from Kankuro's body and grabbed Misumi while the older genin was still frozen in surprise.

"A puppet?" gasped Misumi. A slight bulge appeared in the side of the wrapped bundle and Kankuro's arm reached through the bandages and soon the boy was standing in a circle of discarded bandages. 'That's the real one? He's a puppeteer?' Misumi asked himself, now wishing he had looked through Kabuto's cards at the start of the exam so he would have known possible opponents better.

"If I break your bones you'll be even softer right?" asked Kankuro. Misumi screamed in pain as the puppet's grip on him tightened. "Though I'll go easy on your neck," muttered Kankuro.

'I almost ended that battle too early,' thought Hayate as he coughed and moved towards the combatants. "The battle cannot continue. Winner, Kankuro!" he exclaimed.

"Hmph, isn't he a little too old to be playing with dolls?" asked Neji in a voice that was meant to carry everywhere. Kankuro spun around to glare at the Hyuuga genius, while all of the Konoha genin started laughing. Even Temari had a slight twitch in her lips as she tried to keep from grinning. Kankurou opted to join the Konoha genin on their observation platform, much to everyone's displeasure.

Hayate cleared his throat and glanced at the electronic board. "Will Kinuta Dosu and Akimichi Chouji please come down here?" Chouji quickly stuffed the last of his current bag of chips into his mouth and swallowed while Dosu leapt down to the arena floor. Chouji soon followed. "Ready? Begin!" yelled Hayate.

"You can do it!" Shikamaru called. For once the Nara boy wasn't acting lazy, possibly because his best friend was about to fight.

"Yeah, go Fatass!" yelled Naruto.

"You'd better watch it! I'll win this match quickly and tear you two apart!" roared Chouji as he glared at his friends.

"Well then, I guess I'll skip the playing and end it quickly for you, Fatty," said Dosu.

Chouji's eyes narrowed as they focused on Dosu's right arm. 'You mummy wrapped freak, I already know how you attack thanks to Naruto. You release a sound wave from your device, so Ninpou Baika no Jutsu (Multi-size Technique)!' Chouji's body quickly expanded and he quickly pulled in his arms, legs, and head. 'All I have to do is hide my ears and Nikudan Sensha (Meat Tank)!' Chouji started spinning rapidly and shot towards Dosu with a yell of "I'm not fat, I'm pleasantly plump!"

'The mummy's attacks can damage his opponent without him touching them, but that's only if the ears are exposed. How will he use his sound attack when his opponent's head is buried in all that flesh and using ear plugs on top of that? Plus, Chouji is constantly spinning meat ball,' thought Shikamaru.

Dosu leapt backwards to avoid Chouji, then leapt over the next charge to let the chubby genin hit the wall behind him and become stuck in a crater formed by the collision. 'To get out of that, he'll have to spin in reverse, meaning he'll have to stop spinning and that's when I'll attack,' thought Dosu. Chouji's movement stopped and Dosu dropped down to shove his arm into Chouji's gut.

"It's no use, I still have my earplugs!" said Chouji's muffled voice.

"Nope, you're done for!" said Dosu before he released his attack. Naruto, Akemi, and Gishou all winced as the sonic attack shattered the stone around Chouji and the fat boy screamed in pain before reverting to his normal size unconscious. '70 percent of the human body consists of water which conducts sound. In other words, it's easy to transmit my sound waves through any wall of flesh. As long as I stopped your spinning, which was the biggest difficulty, then I could guess where your ear drums would be and attack,' thought Dosu as he stared at his devastated opponent.

"Winner, Kinuta Dosu!" exclaimed Hayate.

Two medic nin rushed up to Chouji and examined him. "Hey, you alright?" asked one of them.

"I…want to… eat… meat…" mumbled Chouji.

"Sheesh, and his opponent wasn't even trying," muttered Shikamaru as he stared at his friend.

"Oh well, he lost but I guess I'll at least take him to eat some steaks," said Asuma.

The medic nin gave Chouji a food pill to stabilize his stomach and carried the chubby boy to the medical room. Now the only people left were Shino, Hinata, Aki, Gaara, and Lee. Hinata was hoping to fight Lee; she wanted to see how she fared against her cousin's rival and one of the strongest Taijutsu users in Konoha. Aki couldn't care less, but she hoped Neji would be watching her match. Shino was indifferent; he just wanted to get the fight over with. Gaara was twitching slightly causing his siblings to back away from him slowly. 'Damn, Gaara's getting restless, the demon inside him wants blood,' thought Kankuro.

"Okay, now we'll start the next match," said Hayate with a cough.

"It's about time for your turn! Let's go Lee!" exclaimed Gai as he punched the air.

"No!" said Lee, adopting a stubborn expression. "It's come this far so I might as well go last!"

'That's real mature,' thought Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

Everyone turned their attention to the board. Aki grinned as she saw her name appear and jumped down to the ground easily. Her opponent on the other hand… was making a fool of himself.

"You fell for it! If you say you want to go last it won't happen! It's the rule that if you throw a stone to try to hit an electric pole you miss, but if you throw it to miss it hits!" yelled Lee as he did a front kick to show his excitement. "I never wanted to go last!"

'How… childish,' thought Sakura as she mentally put down another entry on her 'Why I don't want to go out with Lee' list.

Lee easily leapt to the arena floor and bowed to Aki. "Aki-san, I am honored to face you. I look forward to testing my skills against you," he said.

"Very well Lee-kun, we shall both do our best!" said Aki.

"Combatants ready?" asked Hayate. Both Aki and Lee nodded and the sickly Jounin jumped out of the way with a yell of "Begin!"

"Kage Gyokaku (Shadow Catch) no Jutsu!" exclaimed Aki as her shadow arm shot towards Lee. The green spandex clad boy simply leapt over the attack, one eyebrow raised as it to ask, 'That's it?' Aki's answer was a smirk before the shadow arm shot out and punched Lee in mid air. Lee hit the arena wall and bounced off to land face first on the floor. "Please get up Lee-kun, I know perfectly well that you are too strong to let a little hit like that knock you out," commanded Aki.

Lee did as instructed and hopped to his feet before rubbing his chin lightly. "Very interesting, I didn't know a shadow could hurt me like that. I've seen Kage Bunshin before, but this is something different, isn't it?" he said.

Aki nodded before saying, "The Tamahashi clan is distantly related to the Nara clan by about ten generations. While the Nara clan specializes in spying and assassination shadow jutsu, the Tamahashi clan is more offensive oriented. Kage Gyokaku is mostly used for grabbing an opponent, but with the constant training I've done I can use it for a long range attack."

Lee flipped backwards to avoid a second punch by the shadow arm, giving Aki time to form some hand seals. Shikamaru smirked as he saw her form the rat seal followed by the crossed finger seal Naruto used for Kage Bunshin. 'Heh, she's going to use that jutsu. I doubt it will do her much good, but it will be cool to see,' thought the lazy shadow user.

"Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) no jutsu!" exclaimed Aki as her shadow arm retracted to her normal shadow before rising into the air in front of her. The shadow assumed the form of a samurai in full armor made completely of shadow. "Kagemusha, used to summon a warrior ally. Unlike the Kage Bunshin, this special shadow clone can take a few hits," said Aki with a grin as she stood up. The shadow samurai drew its sword and assumed a ready stance.

Lee dashed forward and let out a series of jabs to test the shadow warrior's guard. Each punch was met by the sword and Lee was impressed by the shadow samurai's skill with the blade. "Very impressive Aki-chan, but not good enough!" exclaimed Lee just before he disappeared. Aki sensed Lee behind her and spun around in time to see Lee's foot heading for her with a yell of "Konoha Senpuu!" Aki's body went flying as her shadow warrior was destroyed and the last thing she saw was the wall rushing towards her.

"Ouch, she's not going to be waking up anytime soon," said Haku as Aki slid down the wall to the ground. Medic Nin were instantly by her side and verified she was just unconscious. Everyone saw Lee let out a small breath of relief; he did not want to hurt the girl who had hidden feelings for his teammate too badly. The green spandex wearing shinobi quickly made his way back to the observation level as Hayate waited for the board to display the participants in the final fight. Shino, Hinata, and Gaara all waited to see if they would be called down to fight.

When the board displayed its results, Gaara formed half a ram seal and disappeared in a swirl of sand to reappear on the arena floor. "Get down here," he said as he glared at his opponent. Hinata returned his stare unflinchingly, though she could feel his killing intent focused on her.

"You can do it Hinata-chan!" said Naruto as he smiled at his girlfriend. Hinata smiled back before calmly walking down the stairs to face Gaara.

"Aburame Shino, you will be the one to receive the free pass to the Third round," said Hayate. Shino nodded, a little annoyed he hadn't gotten a chance to fight in the preliminaries.

(AN: Before you guys want to lynch me, I love Hinata and don't want to see her get hurt, but this fight is important to the story line. I promise Hinata will not die)

As she passed Kyuubi, Hinata heard the kitsune whisper, "Hinata, be careful. I sense a huge amount of chakra in that boy, almost as much as Naruto." Hinata nodded and gave Kyuubi a quick smile before resuming her walk towards the stairs. Kyuubi's eyes shifted to Gaara and she thought, 'I definitely smell something like Shukaku, could this boy be related to him? But he's the Kazekage's son…' Ken noticed his wife was worried and squeezed her hand.

As soon as she was standing across from Gaara, Hinata bowed to him and said, "It is an honor to face the Kazekage's son Gaara-san."

"Feh," muttered Gaara, clearly not caring. Hinata raised one eyebrow and assumed the Jyuken stance while Gaara remained standing with his arms crossed.

Kankuro glanced at Hinata and snorted, "That pale eyed girl is never going to be able to defeat Gaara!"

"Don't count Hinata-chan out just yet, she's the Heiress of the Hyuuga clan, the strongest clan of Konoha!" growled Naruto from his place nearby. The fox boy was tempted to shove Nenshousaiga up the puppet user's butt and barely managed to restrain himself as the little angel on his right shoulder was agreeing with the little devil on his left that Kankuro needed to feel 10000 years of pain.

Something suddenly shot towards Hinata from the gourd on Gaara's back. Hinata's eyes narrowed and she tilted her head to the side to let the cork that plugged the top of the gourd shoot past her to hit the wall behind her. "There's no need to be hasty Gaara-san," she said as if she was scolding a child.

"Now, 11th match please begin!" said Hayate.

"Byakugan!" said Hinata as she activated her family's bloodline. Hinata's eyes revealed Gaara was not perfectly calm and not going to move, so she charged him, aiming to drive an open palmed blow to Gaara's chest and disable him quickly. However, her attack was blocked by a wave of sand that came from Gaara's gourd. Hinata's eyes widened as she saw the sand shoot behind her like a giant hand in an attempt to grab her. "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata as she spun rapidly. The Heavenly Spin blasted away the sand attempting to surround Hinata and sent Gaara flying before his sand caught him in mid air and set him down on the ground.

(0o0o0)

"I don't believe it, she threw Gaara!" gasped Kankuro.

"What's so odd about that?" asked Naruto.

"All physical attacks are useless against him. Because, regardless of Gaara's will, the sand becomes a shield and protects him. That's why, up to now, there's never been a single person who's even put a scratch on Gaara!" said Kankuro.

Naruto's eyes widened and he focused his attention back on his girlfriend. "Come on Hinata, you can do this!" he yelled.

(0o0o0)

Hinata reached into her shuriken holster and pulled out several throwing stars. She threw the projectiles at Gaara with a curve so they would converge on him from both sides. Working with Sasuke had taught Hinata some of the fine points of Shuriken throwing and she was surprised when the sand caught all of her projectiles. 'He isn't even moving,' she thought. 'Since his sand blocks physical attacks, this might work. Hinata charged forward again, only this time she had her hand in a fist. As Gaara's sand swirled into her way, Hinata grinned and yelled, "Tenken (Heavenly Fist)!" before punching the sand. A Sharingan or Byakugan user would have gasped at what happened next. Chakra shot from Hinata's arm in the shape of a fist to hit Gaara on the face, snapping his head backwards. Hinata took this opportunity to back flip away from Gaara and get some distance so she could remove her bracer weights and the weights around her legs. 'I developed that technique in case I had to face another Hyuuga and to counter their Kaiten, but it looks like it proved my theory. Now that I know chakra can penetrate his barrier I need all the speed I can get!"

Hinata quickly made a series of seals before her hands were covered in green chakra that formed a blade over her hands. "Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel)!" said Hinata. "You're in my divination field!' exclaimed Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress dashed forward and yelled, "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou revised: Naifu Mai (Knife Dance)!" as she attacked all of Gaara's opening points with the chakra scalpel. Gaara's sand stopped every physical blow from actually hitting him but the blade of the chakra scalpels passed through the sand and cut Gaara. The red head stumbled backwards from the blows, small cuts covering every part of his body. Hinata disengaged the chakra scalpel on one hand and delivered a final open palmed blow to Gaara's chest that sent the sand user crashing to the ground.

(0o0o0)

Temari and Kankuro could only stare in shock as they watched their little brother get hit multiple times. "It can't be," muttered Kankuro.

"Go Hinata-chan!" roared Naruto.

"This is bad," said Kankuro. Naruto glanced at the older boy; he could practically smell the fear radiating from him.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan won't kill him, she'll just paralyze or disable him," said the blond fox boy.

"That's no the bad I meant," said Kankuro, his eyes fixed on Gaara. Everyone watched the sand raise Gaara to his feet and gasped as they saw chunks of sand dropping off of his body. Gaara's calm façade cracked and Haku shuddered to see the psychotic grin on his face. She had seen that grin on the villagers who killed her parents and knew this wasn't good.

'There's sand covering his entire body, he's basically unscratched,' thought Kakashi. He had faith in Hinata but using so many techniques so quickly would have drained her stamina and chakra.

"If she gets caught by Gaara, she'll be killed for the fun of it!" exclaimed Kankuro.

"Hey, what is that? He blocked Hinata-chan's attacks with it!" Naruto demanded as he saw sand covering Gaara once again.

"That's the Suna no Yoroi (Armor of Sand)," said Kankuro. The puppet user suddenly felt a glare on him and found Neji was on his other side.

"Armor?" asked the Hyuuga genius, his Byakugan was active and observing the match.

"Yeah, the Suna no Yoroi is a thin layer of protective sand that covers his entire body through his own will. It's different from the Suna no Tate (Shield of Sand) that automatically surrounds and protects him. That is Gaara's ultimate defense!" explained Kankuro.

"You're wrong, the Hyuuga Taijutsu style allows us to attack the internal organs and we just saw Hinata-san penetrate his defenses," said Neji.

(0o0o0)

Down below, Hinata's eyes widened as Gaara seemed to liquefy and sink into the sand around his feet. The Hyuuga girl whirled around as Gaara appeared behind her and unleashed a wave of sand. "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata. Sand flew everywhere and Hinata was left panting in another crater in the arena floor. Hinata started breathing heavily. Even after all her training to increase her stamina, she still got tired quickly. 'I'm in a tough spot, my last attack seemed to have hurt him the most but I'm not sure I can keep this up forever.' Hinata dashed to her left to avoid a sand attack and then leapt over another. The next few seconds were blurs to Hinata as her body seemed to move automatically to avoid all the attacks before she was able to get some distance between herself and Gaara.

"You are finished here," said Gaara.

"I don't give up when I can still fight," said Hinata. The Hyuuga girl disengaged her remaining chakra scalpel and started gathering chakra around her feet. 'Here I go!' Hinata charged Gaara once again. As the sand was about to grab Hinata the sand passed right through her.

'Bunshin no jutsu, clever, I never saw her form the seals,' thought Gaara before he sensed a presence behind him. Gaara's head turned slightly and his sand smashed into Hinata, only to pass through her again. The same thing happened in front of him again and Gaara awaited the next attack. He was surprised to see two Hinata charging him this time, he had no idea where the real one was and was starting to get annoyed. Gaara destroyed both clones easily before scanning the room for the real Hinata.

"Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata from above Gaara. The airborne Kaiten slammed into Gaara and sent him crashing into the arena wall. Hinata landed in front of Gaara and dashed forward yelling, "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" Hinata managed to hit all of Gaara's Tenketsu before the sand could reach him to stop her and watched as the sand settled to the ground around her as Gaara collapsed. Hinata sank to her knees from exhaustion. Hinata's eyes widened in surprise as sand grabbed her hands and legs. The Hyuuga girl frantically tried to blast the sand off with chakra and managed to free her hands, though she couldn't move her legs or get them free of the sand's clutches.

Shino and Sakura's eyes widened as they saw Gaara's hand aimed at Hinata. The same thought shot through both their minds, 'That technique is…'

"Sabaku Kyuu!" growled Gaara. The sand around Hinata's legs tightened and everyone heard a loud CRACK as Hinata's legs broke. However, the girl didn't give Gaara the satisfaction of seeing her scream. The only sign of discomfort Hinata showed was gritting her teeth and wincing as she fell to the ground. Gaara sent another wave of sand towards Hinata.

Just before the sand could reach Hinata, two things happened. A white and black blur appeared in front of Hinata and yelled, "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" before blasting the sand away. The second was a yellow flash of light where Naruto was standing and another by Gaara. The next thing everyone saw was Gaara flying through the air to smash into the arena wall in a huge cloud of smoke and Naruto in a punting position that explained why Gaara had left the ground.

Gaara stumbled out of the smoke and glared at Naruto and Neji before grasping his head in pain. "Why did you save…?" he gasped.

Neji's glare could have paralyzed even the most unruly of academy students as he said, "Hinata-san is the Hyuuga Heiress and it is my privilege to protect her."

Naruto's eyes flickered red and for the first time Gaara felt a bit of fear. "Hinata is one of the most precious people in my life and I love her," he said. Naruto then bit his thumb on one of his fangs and said, "I swear on the Uzumaki blood that I will avenge Hinata!" Naruto let a drop of blood hit the ground before he placed the wound to his mouth and licked the excess blood off.

Gaara stared at the other two genin for a moment before turning around and saying, "That's enough." Gaara's discarded sand rose up and returned to him, sealing up the cracks from Hinata's Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou in his sand armor.

"Winner, Gaara!" exclaimed Hayate. Kyuubi was immediately at Hinata's side with healing chakra shining in her hands as he healed Hinata's legs.

"You're lucky Hinata; even though most of the bones in your leg were crushed your muscles are fine. You'll just need to stay in the hospital a few days so I can give you regular checkups," said the kitsune woman with a smile.

'Whew, at last we're at the end, finally it's the main event,' thought Hayate before he said, "With this, the preliminary trials for the third round test has been completed! Will all the winners please assemble in front of the statue for a few words from Hokage-sama?"

As soon as all the victorious genin were assembled, Ken had to fight to keep the grin he felt at the number of Konoha rookies in the third round. 'Counting Sasuke who isn't here, there are eight from Konoha, three from sand, and one from sound. That makes six initial fights for the third round.'

"Hokage-sama, if you would please begin," said Hayate.

Ken nodded and stepped forward. "Well, now I'd like to start explaining the third test. As I told you before, each of you will fight to represent the strengths of your countries. I'd like you to show off all your powers with no reserves, which is why the finals will be held one month from now. This way you have one month to prepare. In other words, in addition to informing all the various country daimyos and shinobi leaders, this is the time needed to arrange for the gathering of the event and this is also the preparation time for you examination students," Ken pulled a bottle of water from his supply pouch and took a quick gulp to wet his throat before continuing, "Basically it's the preparation to get to know the enemy and yourself. It's the time period where you will calculate your chances of winning by analyzing the data accumulated during the trial competition. The battles up to now had you fight as if you were in an actual combat situation with the assumption of fighting an unknown opponent. However, the final trial won't be like this. There are those who showed all they can do already to their rivals and there are those who competed and were badly injured against a strong opponent. To make everything fair, the one month should be used by all of you to advance and improve yourselves. Of course, it'll be fine to rest your body as well."

Naruto glanced at the ten genin in the line with him. His gaze focused on Gaara, he knew what he would be training for in the month. 'That sand shield of his is pretty fast but quick attacks seem to be its weakness.'

Anko walked up holding a box with a hole in the top to allow a person to reach into the box. "This box contains pieces of paper, each of you will draw one when I bring the box to you," said the kunoichi. Everyone did as instructed, starting with Dosu and proceeding down the line.

"Now that you all have a piece of paper, tell us the number on it starting from the left," said Ken.

(AN: I'll just list the numbers)

Dosu: 7

Naruto: 11

Haku: 10

Temari: 3

Kankuro: 6

Gaara: 12

Shikamaru: 4

Shino: 8

Sakura: 9

Neji: 2

Lee: 5

Sasuke: 1, it's the only number left in the box.

"Ibiki, please show them the match arrangements," Ken instructed. Ibiki nodded and showed a clipboard to the assembled genin. The fights were as follows:

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Hyuuga Neji

Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari

Rock Lee vs. Kankuro

Kinuta Dosu vs. Aburame Shino

Haruno Sakura vs. Uzumaki Haku

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Gaara.

Naruto's face bore a huge grin as he saw he would be fighting Gaara first thing. Sasuke fighting Neji would be a good match to watch, the previous Rookie of the Year up against this year's Rookie of the Year.

"Well, you're free to start strategizing or resting as you like. With that I'll dismiss you all but are there any final questions?" asked Ken.

Shikamaru raised his hand and asked, "Since it's a tournament, it would mean that there's only one winner, right? Which would mean that only one person can become a Chunnin, doesn't it?"

Ken smirked and everyone instantly knew that Naruto had gotten his smirk from his dad. "No, that's not quite it. There will be judges, including myself, Sarutobi-sama, Kazekage, lords of various countries that will make mission requests and other ninja leaders, who will be watching the final test. Throughout the tournament, these judges will be evaluating your abilities. Those that are judged to have the necessary qualities of a Chunnin will be able to become a Chunnin even if they lose in their first match," replied Ken.

"That means that it's a possibility that everyone here will become a Chunnin?" asked Temari.

"Yes, but that isn't likely," said Ken, "there is also the possibility that none of you will become Chunnin. To advance in the tournament means that you will have more chances to appeal to the judges. Did you understand Shikamaru-kun?"

"Hai," muttered the lazy genin.

"Well then, thanks for all the effort you exerted for these trials. You're all dismissed until a month from now!" exclaimed Ken. Most of the genin dispersed to join with their sensei, but Naruto headed straight for his dad.

"Otou-san, I humbly request you train me in the Shunshin (Body Flicker) no jutsu. I will need all the speed I can get to defeat Gaara," said Naruto. Ken studied his son; Naruto had the look in his eye that said not even the threat of no ramen for a week would make him budge until he got what he wanted. After a quick whispered conversation with Sarutobi and Kyuubi, Ken turned back to Naruto.

"Alright, but first of all we'll need to get rid of that seal Orochimaru put on you. Spend tomorrow recovering and then we'll get started," said Ken. Naruto grinned and bowed to his parents before running off towards the ANBU escort waiting to guide each Genin back through the forest.

(0o0o0)

Naruto's first stop after he exited the Forest of Death was to go home and take a quick shower. He then ran to visit Hinata in the hospital and spent an hour holding her in his arms and telling her how great she was for fighting so well.

Naruto and Hinata's snuggle time was interrupted by Kyuubi. "Sorry you two, but I need to give you something Naruto." Naruto reluctantly removed his arms from around Hinata and watched as his mother used one of her fangs to get some blood on her hand before performing the Boar, dog, rooster, monkey, and ram seals before slamming her hand onto the ground and yelling, "Kuchiyose (summoning) no Jutsu!" A large five tailed fox appeared in a cloud of smoke with a scroll on its back.

"Kyuubi-hime, it has been long since you last summoned me," said the five tailed kitsune.

"Indeed it has been a long time Oowarai (Great Laughter). I have summoned you this day that my kit may receive his birthright," said Kyuubi.

Oowarai's eyes widened and he quickly removed the scroll from his back before bowing to Naruto as he gave the scroll to him. Naruto eagerly opened the scroll and saw a bunch of places for people to sign their names to make a contract with the kitsune tribe. Naruto quickly used one of his fangs to cut his finger and signed his name and placed his finger prints from his right hand in the space provided for them.

Naruto grinned and quickly did the same seals his mother had done before slamming his hand on the ground and yelling, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke appeared around his hand and cleared away to reveal Gishou.

"Huh, did you summon me Naruto?" asked the kitsune. Naruto nodded eagerly and Gishou grinned. "Good job, you could have gotten a kit instead of me."

Kyuubi smiled and then turned serious again. "Naruto, I've figured out how to remove the seal Orochimaru placed on you. We have to wait a few days until your human night and that is when we will be able to remove the seal." Naruto nodded, every time the moon was three quarters full he lost his kitsune powers in the early evening and regained them when the sun rose. Haku shared a similar fate, only her human night was when the moon was one quarter full. "Naruto, you can head home now, I'll bring Sasuke and Hinata with me when I leave and Hinata will spend the night at our house. Tomorrow you'll meet your father at the hot springs so he can begin to train you in using the Shunshin no jutsu. Kakashi has already said he will be taking Sasuke to train outside Konoha."

Naruto nodded and ran out of the hospital with Gishou on his heals. On his way home, Naruto spotted a mass of white hair by the women's bath house and knew immediately that one of his favorite teachers had returned to Konoha. "Jiraiya-Ojiisan (Grandpa)! You're back!" yelled Naruto as he tackled the white haired man from behind. Screams issued from the bath house and a horde of women soon found a chibi Naruto perched on the white haired man's back looking as innocent as possible. Luckily for Naruto Gishou transformed and suddenly grabbed him out of the way and covered his eyes, allowing the women to take out their wrath on the peeping tom. Naruto winced at the sounds of the beating being administered. When the women were finished, Naruto cautiously approached the man. "Ojiisan daijoubu (Grandfather are you okay)?" When Naruto failed to get a response he grabbed a nearby stick and prodded the man while asking, "Ano, Ero-sennin (Um, Pervert hermit)?"

WHAM!

Naruto knelt on the ground holding a large bump on his head and whining from the pain as the white haired man stood over him shaking his fist. "Gaki (brat) how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" roared the man.

"But Jiraiya-Ojiisan…" whined Naruto.

"Call me Ojiisan or Jiraiya, heck call me anything but that!" yelled Jiraiya.

Naruto snorted and glared at his father's sensei before saying, "How my father never became a pervert like you I'll never know."

"That's because I knew Tsunade-oba-san would give me the heel if I acted like him," said Ken as he walked around the corner. "I heard the screams and just knew you'd be here Jiraiya-sensei."

"Good to see you kid, but teach your son some respect!" said Jiraiya as he and Ken hugged each other.

The amused twinkle in Ken's eye grew as he said, "I've tried sensei, but he only treats people with respect at formal functions and even then barely."

"Oi, Ojiisan, Oka-san let me sign the fox contract!" exclaimed Naruto as he leapt onto Jiraiya's back. The white haired man grinned and hoisted Naruto up onto his shoulders, proving his strength as on of Konoha's legendary Sennin as he easily held the fox boy up.

"Dang, I was hoping I'd get you first and give you the toad contract," said Jiraiya before he noticed something wrong. "Hey, where are your tails and ears? It's nowhere near your human night," he demanded.

"Your old teammate used a sealing talisman on me that sealed my kitsune blood. Oka-san says we have to wait until my human night to remove it," said Naruto.

"Orochimaru, so he's here too?" asked Jiraiya. Ken nodded and the two older men walked towards the Uzumaki house with Ken describing everything Anko had told him about her encounter with Orochimaru in the forest. Naruto added his input and Jiraiya was frowning by the time they reached the front door of the Uzumaki house. "I don't like this, Orochimaru has always wanted to master all the jutsu in the world and he knows the Sharingan will help him. Since he can't beat Itachi and Sasuke is the last Uchiha alive we'll have to keep our eyes on him," said the perverted hermit.

"Kakashi will be taking him to a secluded place for training during the month until the final part of the exam while I'm training Naruto," said Ken.

"Naruto-ni-san, you're back!" yelled Akemi as she came down the stairs and saw Naruto climbing down from Jiraiya's back. Haku came out of the kitchen with an apple in her hand, eyeing Jiraiya curiously.

"Hi Akemi, how's your head?" asked Ken.

"Just great, Kyuubi-oka-san said it was fine and to just be careful for the next few days," said Akemi. The kitsune girl then turned to Jiraiya and asked, "Who are you?" Ken and Naruto's faces both grew expressions of horror and Haku had a sudden bad feeling.

"Alright hold on," said Jiraiya before quickly summoning a toad a bit taller than Naruto and jumping on its head. "Thanks for asking! Mt. Myoboku-gama's holy master sennin, also known as the toad sennin, remember it!" exclaimed Jiraiya as he did a pose on top of the toad.

"Haku, Akemi, meet my old sensei Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Legendary Three. Jiraiya, meet Haku and Akemi. We adopted them a few months ago after Naruto met them on a mission in Wave Country." said Ken.

Haku and Akemi looked at Jiraiya for a moment before turning to Ken and back again. "He's one of the Sannin, like Tsunade-sama?" asked both girls at the same time.

"Yep, the two of them were the closest things to parents I had for most of my life. All of my relatives in Konoha died from a fire when I was five and I was the only survivor because I was at the academy. Tsunade-oba-san took me in because I was friends with her little brother and I got to know Jiraiya-sensei when he would come over for dinner some times. He saw a lot of him in me since I was an orphan and people claimed I would never be a good ninja. He started teaching me the basics and eventually became my Jounin sensei when I graduated. Thanks to him I eventually became Hokage!"

"At least you aren't a pervert like he is sensei," said Rin's voice. The kunoichi had come to discuss Haku's training for the next month and had her bokken out as soon as she saw Jiraiya's distinctive hair. The wind hanyou knew full well that Jiraiya was a super pervert and was ready to reduce him to a mass of bumps and bruises if he made one wrong move towards her students.

"Rin, nice to see you. Where's Kakashi?" asked Jiraiya, making sure to keep his eye on the Bokken.

"He's guarding Sasuke at the hospital since Orochimaru has expressed an interest in him. Don't worry he'll be begging you for details about your latest book soon," said Rin before moving aside to let Aki into the room. Aki was still a little sore from her match against Lee and it showed in how carefully she moved. The Tamahashi girl had seen Jiraiya's entire intro and eyed him like he was crazy. "Jiraiya, meet my genin team, Tamahashi Aki, Uzumaki Akemi, and Uzumaki Haku," said Rin. Jiraiya glanced over all three girls, his eyes lingering on Haku the longest.

Haku frowned and focused on the slight drip that meant the kitchen faucet was leaky. Water quickly formed a kunai that zipped into the front hall and positioned itself in a place no man wants a sharp object. "Look at my sister or me again and I'll cut," growled Haku. Jiraiya inched backwards, watching as the kunai flew through the air to Haku and became a string of water that poured into her mouth so she could get an easy drink.

"Impressive, did you participate in the Chunnin exam?" asked the white haired man.

Haku nodded and Rin replied, "Haku was the only one on our team to pass the preliminary round."

"Preliminary? Must have been some exceptional genin this time around. Bet you can't wait until your first Chunnin exam, eh Naruto?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto stared at Jiraiya for a second before saying, "I just got finished taking the exam. My team made it to the preliminary and I passed that with Sasuke. Hinata-chan was the only member of our team not to pass and even then she did really well."

Jiraiya whistled he knew Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata had potential but that was a surprise. 'This kid is incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if he made Chunnin at the end of this exam. There's no doubt he'll be Hokage like his father some day,' he thought. "So where are Sasuke and Hinata? You guys are always together," asked Jiraiya.

"Sasuke is in the hospital since Orochimaru bit him and gave him this weird hickey and Hinata is recovering from her fight with this really tough guy named Gaara of the Desert who uses sand," replied Naruto.

"You'll have to tell me about the whole exam, especially your fight in the preliminary," said Jiraiya. Naruto started to explain the exam, with the girls adding their input. Jiraiya was impressed by how Haku got the answers to the first test and passed them to her team mates. He then asked all four genin to describe their team's experiences in the Forest of Death. When Naruto reached the part where they encountered Orochimaru, Jiraiya made Naruto go over everything several times. Luckily, Hinata had told Naruto everything that happened before he arrived and after he was knocked out. When they reached the preliminary round, Jiraiya looked at Ken for confirmation on the number of rookie genin. "Naruto, I think that your generation will be one of the strongest we've ever seen in Konoha. I wouldn't be surprised if the next group of Sannin came from your generation," said the Sennin.

"Maybe Naruto-ni-san's team will be the next group of Sennin!" said Akemi with a grin.

"That's possible, they're definitely the best rookies of the year," said Ken.

Just then the door was opened and Kyuubi entered with Sasuke pushing Hinata in a wheel chair. The blue haired kunoichi had asked that she walk by herself, but Kyuubi wanted her to stay off her feet as much as possible. When Kyuubi saw Jiraiya, her eyes narrowed and she said, "Remember the rule Jiraiya-san, no research in my house and none of your books! That goes for you too Kakashi!" Everyone turned to the nearby window where the masked Jounin was caught in the act of slipping in. Both silver haired men shivered slightly at the warning tone in her voice and memories of various kitchenware colliding with heads flashed through their minds.

"Kyuubi-san, what do you mean by research and books?" asked Aki.

Naruto snorted before saying, "Ero-Sennin here is the author of the Icha Icha series. His research involves peeping on the women's bath."

Jiraiya scowled and grabbed Naruto in a headlock before giving him a noogie. "Gaki, I've told you not to call me that!" growled the Sennin.

Naruto squirmed for a minute before kicking Jiraiya in the shin. While that wasn't enough to make the older shinobi let go, it caused him to lose his balance just enough that Naruto was able to knock him over. The two fell to the floor and started wrestling, reminding Ken of the time Kyuubi saved a young Naruto from a rabid bear youkai. Naruto finally managed to get free of Jiraiya's grasp and get some distance. Naruto made the ram seal and gathered his chakra before yelling, "Behold!" Smoke covered Naruto and when it cleared Jiraiya's face quickly gained a perverted grin as he raised two thumbs up.

"Brilliant jutsu Naruto, very realistic, you've been reading my books, haven't you?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto's face paled and he immediately returned to his normal form. "Baka Ero-sennin, I'm no pervert like you! I wouldn't read your books for all the ramen in the world!"

Hinata giggled at this statement and Naruto was instantly by her side asking if she needed anything. Ken took Jiraiya and Kakashi into his study to discuss a few things while Kyuubi recruited Rin, Aki, Haku, and Akemi to help with dinner. Sasuke retired to his room to read a scroll, while Naruto spent the time until dinner hugging Hinata and telling her what a great job she did in her fight against Gaara. Hinata allowed herself to be pampered, wishing she had Naruto's ears and tails to pet the whole time.

(0o0o0)

Dinner turned out to be a feast with all the Genin's favorite dishes to celebrate reaching the preliminary round. Kyuubi insisted that Aki and Hinata spend the night and when Neji came to bring Hinata home, the kitsune woman pulled him inside and told him in no uncertain terms that he was staying for the night. Neji gave in and called Hiashi to inform him of the change in plans. Sasuke loaned Neji a pair of pajamas and the Hyuuga boy headed towards the guest bathroom. Neji was already thinking of how he could fight Sasuke and didn't think to knock on the door to see if it anyone was inside the bathroom. When the Hyuuga genius opened the door, he saw Aki had just finished removing her bra. Aki turned around, her hand automatically grabbing for a kunai that wasn't there.

For a long moment the two stared at each other before a drop of blood appeared at the base of Neji's nose. Aki's eyes narrowed and she yelled "Hentai!" and shadow smacked Neji. Neji's entire face became as red as a tomato and he finally spun around and slammed the door shut before leaning against it. Visions of Aki's body danced through his head and Neji's blush became so bright you couldn't see the handprint from Aki's smack.

'Aki-san is cute when she's angry… where did that come from? Kuso, I've been hanging around Naruto too long! Next thing I know, I'm going to be inventing perverted jutsu and using the Byakugan to peep on the women's bath!' Neji yelled inside his head.

The door to the bathroom opened behind Neji and he fell backwards onto his back. Looking up, he found himself staring up at an angry Aki. "Neji-kun, you have until the count of five to get out!" growled Aki. "One…" SLAM! Neji was out of the bathroom and huddling in Naruto's room muttering about perverts and psychos. Unfortunately for Neji, Jiraiya saw the whole thing and wrote down the idea for his next book. It took Naruto a while but he managed to get Neji settled in Sasuke's room. Hinata got to sleep in a spare futon in Naruto's room while Aki bunked with Haku and Akemi, who shared a room. Jiraiya got the couch while Kakashi and Rin headed to Kakashi's apartment. The house was soon filled with the sound of Sasuke mumbling ways of torturing Itachi in his sleep, Jiraiya's perverted giggles, Hinata's laughter as she played with a chibi Naruto, and the senior Uzumaki couple doing stuff found in Jiraiya's books. Poor Neji was being kept awake by visions of a nude Aki dancing through his head; finally, unable to take it any longer, he used a pressure point on himself to send him to be sent into a dreamless sleep.

(0o0o0)

The next morning after breakfast Ken headed to the Hokage tower to make sure nothing big required his attention while Naruto went to the hot springs to wait for him. Naruto idly dangled his feet in one of the springs to relax. When Ken arrived Naruto was up in a flash and bouncing up and down. "Otou-san, what are we doing here at the hot springs?" he asked.

Ken smiled and ruffled Naruto's head as he said, "I'm going to teach you how to improve your chakra control."

"How will we do that?"

Ken's mouth suddenly had the same giant grin Naruto often had as he said, "You'll be learning how to walk on water!"

**Well, that's all for now. Sorry this chapter is so late. The next one will cover Naruto's training in the Shunshin (Body Flicker) and Kuchiyose (Summoning) no jutsu and then possibly the start of the third round. Remember to review so I know how to improve the next chapter!  
**


	13. Tail 12: Training And final Round Start

**Roar of the Dragon: And the month of training begins. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and future ones. Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews; give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make.**

**Side note: If Naruto is aired on Toonami, it will be aimed at little kids. This means all the good stuff that we love like the blood and possibly Sexy no Jutsu will be removed. To prevent this go to http : www (dot) thepetitionsite (dot) com / takeaction / 105379428 and sign the petition to get it put on Adult swim.**

_Review Responses_

_YaminekoHyousai: Dosu is an idiot, so he might go after Gaara. Hinata is fine and will be participating in the fight to defend Konoha._

_Jetflash: Sasuke will be different than in the manga, just wait and see._

_RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: Don't worry, Shino will get his chance to shine in the finals. I am not having him get stood up by Kankuro. Naruto will get his revenge,_

_The 4 Elements and the Creator: Neji had other things on his mind. I have special plans for Shino. As for Sasuke, you'll have to wait and see._

_Black Knife: I was already planning to explain it, but thanks for the reminder. I've decided that the Rescue Sasuke arc of this story will have one major difference but still stay the same._

_YaminekoByousai: Hinata will be kicking ass soon. As for Dosu, he'll be an idiot real soon._

_Dual Rasengan: Jiraiya with Byakugan would be a godsend to Kakashi since he would be able to peep without getting close enough for the women to find him and thus escaping having to go to the hospital after they beat him up._

_Anzpuffyhair: Eh, Ebisu isn't really important, especially since Naruto's dad was teaching him. As for the tails, Naruto should have 8 by the end of the story and 9 at the end of the three year training trip. I don't know if 10 tailed kitsune exist._

_Manatheron: Thank you for your encouragement. I'm glad you like the OC's, I try to make sure everyone works well. Kyuubi had to stay and watch the preliminary in case Naruto's turn came soon and since she was the senior medical nin at the time. Kyuubi reinforced Kakashi's seal later, his was just a temporary fix. As for Sasuke leaving, there will be some major changes there._

_Dragon and Sword Master: Simply put, the Shunshin allows the user to move so fast all their opponent sees is a flash of yellow light. A more detailed explanation is given in the chapter._

_Story Weaver1: Chibi Naruto is very Kawaii. Glad you liked the big fight between Gaara and Hinata. I hope the Sakura vs. Haku fight lives up to your expectations. _

_Shadow-Sensei: I don't think I said Gai was gay, people just like to joke that he acts almost gay._

_God in a Box: Yes, I think this is the first Gaara vs. an improved Hinata I've seen. Got to keep springing new things on you readers. _

_Miliardo Peacecraft: Thank you, those were the feelings I was aiming to express in this story when I created it, a blend of Inuyasha and Naruto. _

_Byuu128: Yes, Neji will get some romance soon. Naruto's summon creature will be revealed this chapter. _

_Joecool4: Naruto uses Gishou when he has to face more than one opponent at the same time, so they'd fight together against Kankuro, for example, but not against Sasuke._

_xAkix: Oops, just goes to show I was desperate to get the chapter out._

_NaruHinalover: I know, I hated myself for not letting Hinata into the finals. But she'll still play a big role in the defense of Konoha._

_Sevetenks the Ultimate F: Here's more!_

_Crazyhanyoued: I don't know about Yellow Flash, orange might suit Naruto better. Naruto will be at the hot springs a lot, so the girls might get their chance._

_Scorpio V1.2: thank you, some of the exams are hard. _

_Aloi-chan: Hinata was worn out, if she had more chakra and stamina she might have beaten Gaara, but I don't think even Neji would have an easy time against him._

_Draconous: I've already planned out the Sound's attack, some things will change but others will not._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

_**Extra note of happiness: Yay, college is done for the year and I'm mostly free for the summer to write. However I am searching for a job and that could put a dent on my writing time. Hopefully I can keep bringing you all a chapter every two weeks, wish me luck!**_

"You're serious about teaching me water walking?" demanded Naruto as he stared at his father. When Ken nodded Naruto tackled him in a hug. "Sugoi, you're the best Otou-san!"

"Don't thank me yet Naruto, Shunshin involves creating a sort of time field which slows down time around you but leaves you unaffected. This allows you to move at your normal speed but your opponents can't see you. To do this we'll need to increase your chakra control over your entire body. In other words, you'll have to learn to sleep on water."

"Nani?"

Ken grinned and said, "I'm going to be improving your chakra control for your entire body. We'll start with your feet and hands and eventually move onto the rest of your body. But for now, put these on." Ken tossed a bag to Naruto, who opened his arms to catch it. The fox boy fell down from the huge weight and had the breath driven from his lungs. "These weights will help us boost your speed and strength and the good thing is they adjust to your strength level as you develop so we don't have to keep replacing them. Now, we will work on Shunshin and chakra control until we get that seal off you. After that Jiraiya or I will help you learn how to summon correctly. By the end of the month you should be able to use Shunshin and summon at least a five tailed kitsune."

Naruto grinned and started buckling on the weights while Gishou idly curled up in the shade to watch. Ken grinned and noticed the almost impossible to see distortion he had learned marked his sensei's location when he used his ultimate peeping jutsu. The toad Sennin had come to watch the fun and get a little bit of inspiration for his books at the same time. 'I hope Kyuubi doesn't figure out he's here, she'll go on a rampage if she does and sensei will be stuck in the hospital. I need him here in case something comes up and I can't train Naruto.'

"Ano, Otou-san? I'm ready!" exclaimed Naruto.

Ken grinned and started his explanation, "Okay, now listen carefully. In tree climbing, you only have to continually create the same amount of the necessary chakra and gather it to the necessary place. The tree is solid under you and all you have to do is stick to it. In other words, it's a lesson in how to build up a certain amount of chakra. You've partly mastered this skill with the Rasengan on your hands. In order to walk on water, you must always expel the appropriate amount of chakra into the water from your feet and you must make it match to only the amount necessary to make you float. This chakra control is much more difficult than to simply continue to create the same amount of chakra and is meant to be used for control training where you learn to create a set amount of chakra needed to expel for the use of a jutsu. Now watch as I demonstrate.

"Hai!" exclaimed Naruto.

"First, you gather the chakra to your feet. Then, as you continually expel a set amount of chakra, you match it to the weight of your body," explained Ken as he easily walked to the middle of the hot spring.

"Sugoi!" squealed Naruto before gathering chakra himself and attempting to do the same thing. Naruto got two steps out before he sank like a rock.

"He's just like me," sighed Ken as he remembered being in Naruto's position while Jiraiya peeped on the women's bath house. Gishou was cracking up on the shore and rolling around laughing. Naruto quickly leapt out of the water and whimpered from the heat before he removed his clothes to reveal his ramen bowl patterned swim trunks. Ken, Gishou, and the hidden Jiraiya watched Naruto try several times to walk on the water like his father. "Well, you are getting farther out each time before you fall," said Ken when Naruto asked him if he was making any progress. These words of encouragement drove away the gloomy look from Naruto's face. However the blond only really regained his sunny attitude when Hinata arrived with a large picnic basket for lunch with Kyuubi. The foursome and one fox settled down in a nearby park to enjoy a picnic lunch. Naruto was silent for most of the meal and the look on his face told everyone he was thinking hard.

"Ano, Hinata-chan, could you look at my feet like you did when I attempted to do the tree climbing in Wave?" asked Naruto.

Hinata did as requested and couldn't find any Tenketsu that were blocked. "What's wrong Naruto-kun, did you fall off a tree and hit your head?" she asked as she started to examine Naruto's head, hoping that the familiar fox ears would make an appearance.

"No, Otou-san is trying to teach me how to walk on water and I can't do it very well," explained Naruto with a sigh.

"Well, none of your Tenketsu are closed, but I do see some interference from the seal on your chakra system," said Hinata.

"What do you see Hinata?" asked Kyuubi.

"The seal has formed a barrier around Naruto-kun's youki, though there a few holes allowing a bit to slip through. However it is also affecting some of the major chakra pathways to the lower body just enough to screw up the chakra flow. Any jutsu Naruto-kun performed since the seal was placed were not affected, but I suspect he would have a hard time climbing a tree now," said Hinata.

"Stupid snake bastard, I hope you shove a Rasengan down his throat the next time you see him Otou-san," growled Naruto.

"Not if I get to him first," growled Kyuubi, her eyes turning red from thoughts of the evil snake sennin laying a finger on her kits. Kyuubi wasn't sure if she would transform and defecate on him or give him the same treatment she gave Mizuki, but she knew his death would be long and painful.

(0o0o0)

When Kyuubi returned to the hospital, she left Hinata with Naruto and Ken so the Hyuuga girl could enjoy her boyfriend's company and learn the water walking with him, though Hinata would have to wait until the next day before Kyuubi would allow her to attempt the exercise.

Hinata glanced up as the sound of wings reached her ears. Hinotama landed beside her on the bench she was occupying. "It is good to see you have recovered Hinata-chan," said the phoenix.

Hinata smiled and scratched Gishou's ear as she watched Naruto try to master the water walking. Hinata could tell Naruto was improving with each try, on the last one he stayed on the water's surface for two whole minutes before falling in. "Kyuubi-san was amazed at how strong I was. She said that very few people would be ready to leave the hospital the day after suffering the injuries I did. What is even more amazing is how Naruto-kun used Shunshin for the first time to save me. Now he is dedicated to mastering the jutsu and defeating Gaara. And since he gave his word that he would beat Gaara he won't stop until he does, even if he ends up in the hospital himself," replied Hinata.

Hinotama chuckled and said, "Kitsune are among the most stubborn of youkai when it comes to keeping their word. I am not surprised that Naruto would be so dedicated."

"And what are phoenixes know for?" asked Hinata.

"We can carry immensely heavy loads, travel from one place to another through fire, and the healing properties of our tears," explained the phoenix.

Hinata nodded, she had read the same thing when she was younger. The sight of Naruto shaking himself like a dog to dry off his body before attempting the exercise again caught her attention and Hinata noticed Ken had taken out a scroll and was reading it at a safe distance from the spring to avoid any stray splashes. With a grin worthy of Naruto in prankster mode, Hinata carefully stood up and started approaching Ken. Naruto saw what she was doing and started trying to stand on one leg on the water to keep his father's attention on him. Hinata managed to get right behind Ken before saying, "Hokage-sama!" in her most official sounding voice. Ken leapt into the air and spun around to face Hinata, worried something major had happened to interrupt his training time with Naruto when he had left Sarutobi in charge.

"Hinata, don't do that!" exclaimed Ken as he placed one hand on his heart. "I thought something terrible had happened that I hadn't been aware of, you sound just like my assistants do when they have bad news."

Hinata giggled and blushed slightly while Naruto was laughing at both of them from the water. It took all three a minute to realize Naruto was actually standing on the water in the middle of the hot spring with no problem. "Yatta! I did it!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Excellent Naruto, now we can start on the basics. Shunshin requires you to channel your chakra through out your entire body and boost your speed. That's why you're wearing the weights, they'll slow you down and make you a lot faster when you remove them. This means it will take less chakra to help you attain the speed and more can be focused into strength. When I use the jutsu I rely on quick killing blows, but that takes ANBU training to really work, so we'll settle for you becoming impossible to bee seen by your opponent," said Ken. Naruto nodded, eager to learn more.

(0o0o0)

"Ah man, I'm exhausted," groaned Naruto as he stumbled into the Uzumaki living room with Gishou on his heels. There he found Haku lying on the couch. The dragon hanyou girl had her long hair tied back in a ponytail and Naruto could clearly see her webbed ears. Haku's tail was twitching slightly as she stared at the television, which was showing an anime featuring a young girl who became friends with a dragon and the adventures the two of them had as they journeyed across the land. "Dragon Rider?" asked Naruto with a grin as he sank into one of the giant armchairs facing the television. Gishou curled up beside the chair and focused on the television.

"Yeah, you look like you've been busy," said Haku.

"I'm almost totally drained of chakra, I'll be so glad to get my youki back," groaned Naruto. "This is worse than being human; I can sense my youki but not use it!"

Haku grimaced in sympathy, she too was drained and exhausted, but her youki was able to keep her going. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait. Look at it this way, your chakra reserve will skyrocket after all this time of being constantly drained and refilling," she said.

"I forgot about that," said Naruto. He took the time to listen to the sounds of the house and heard his parents talking in the kitchen and Akemi in the bathroom upstairs. "The house seems kind of empty without Sasuke," muttered Naruto.

"Yeah, I hope he's learning a lot from Kakashi-sensei," said Haku as a slightly dreamy look appeared on her face.

Naruto chuckled, "Man, you've got it bad! He's barely been gone a day and you're mooning over him already!"

Haku blushed and grabbed one of the couch pillows and threw it at Naruto. The pillow hit the kitsune boy in the face and he growled before chucking his own pillow at Haku. Within moments the two were tossing pillows back and forth. Akemi came downstairs dressed in a t-shirt and shorts to join in the fun and soon all fatigue was forgotten as the pillows flew through the air. The fight came to an end as Ken entered the living room just in time to get smacked in the face by Akemi's pillow. "I'm not even going to ask," muttered Ken as he pulled the pillow away from his face. "Kyuubi sent me to tell you three that dinner is ready." Three blurs shot past Ken, knocking him over onto his butt and he turned to find all three genin with chopsticks in hand and drooling over the large meal Kyuubi had prepared with Rin's help. 'I swear that they all used Shunshin on instinct,' thought the Hokage as he stood up and joined the group at the table.

(0o0o0)

The next few days saw Naruto training under his father in using the Shunshin. First of all Naruto had to master controlling the chakra to his entire body evenly by lying on the surface of the hot spring. Then he started performing the jutsu and getting used to moving around with it active. The Ichiraku ramen stand got used to seeing a flash of light and Naruto sprawled on the ground after he tripped upon entering the stand. Konohamaru often tried to follow Naruto, only to lose him every time or find himself being run over if Naruto didn't see him. The villagers started to call Naruto the Orange Flash because of his bright orange jumpsuit, which caused Ken to sigh that Konoha wouldn't be known for two Yellow Flashes.

(0o0o0)

While Naruto was learning Shunshin, Hinata was studying medical jutsu with Rin while she supervised Haku's training. Haku was practicing with keeping her ice mirrors up for extended periods of time and building her chakra reserves. Hinata had also been doing exercises to build up her chakra reserves due to a gift she received from Hinotama.

(Flash back begins)

Hinata was sitting at her workbench in her room working on some of her medical creams when Hinotama flew into the room through the open window. Hinata was surprised to see the phoenix was carrying a large scroll in his talons. "Hinotama, what is that scroll for?" asked Hinata as she put away her medical supplies.

"I've been talking with the boss summons of the phoenix clan, Suzaku-sama, and she has decided to allow you to sign the phoenix summoning contract. Since Naruto has signed the kitsune contract and you two will be married in the future this will reinforce the alliance between the phoenix and the kitsune," replied Hinotama.

"So I have to sign my name with blood, right?" asked Hinata. Hinotama nodded and Hinata unrolled the scroll to find there were only a few signatures on the contract and they were all listed as deceased. (AN: I don't know if that really happens, but I think it would be a good feature to have) Hinata bit her thumb and quickly ran through the hand seals Kyuubi had shown Naruto before slamming her hand on to the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" exclaimed Hinata before a burst of flame appeared in front of her hand. The flames disappeared to reveal a small phoenix chick that looked around curiously before turning its eyes to Hinata. "Kawaii!" squealed Hinata before she glomped the little phoenix gently and started stroking its head. "What's your name little one?" she asked.

"I'm Kien (Luminous Flame)!" chirped the little phoenix as she rubbed her head against Hinata's hand. Hinata smiled and soon found a new friend in the young phoenix and was ready to learn more about summoning them. Kyuubi gladly instructed Hinata in the basics during her check up the next day and Hinata was able to summon another phoenix the size of Hinotama. When Naruto saw how much progress his girlfriend was making, he started practicing his own summoning techniques. It was soon a common sight to see phoenixes and kitsune flying and running through Konoha as they got used to the area for future reference. People also became used to seeing Naruto and Hinata collapsed in a pile of feathers and fur as some of the larger creatures offered themselves as a resting place.

(0o0o0)

Finally it was Naruto's human night. Team Kunoichi, Hinata, and Jiraiya all gathered at the Uzumaki house where Naruto sat in the middle of a large seal drawn on the floor of the dojo. Ken and Kyuubi sat on opposite sides of Naruto and concentrating. "What exactly are they doing?" asked Aki.

"Both of them are working together to create a neutral environment within the seal so the sealing talisman on Naruto can be removed," explained Jiraiya. "The talisman basically allows only a human to remove it on Naruto's human night, but they must be on holy or neutral ground such as a spot where good and evil clashed and neither won. Since holy ground would purify Naruto's kitsune blood, we have to create neutral ground. Ken is channeling his chakra while Kyuubi is channeling her youkai into the seal. When they mix together, the inside of the seal becomes neutral ground. This is where you and Hinata come in. One of you will need to go into the seal and remove the sealing talisman on Naruto once he is fully human using the jutsu I'll show you. So, which one of you is it going to be?"

"Me," said Hinata quietly, but with an underlying sense of power that screamed no one was touching Naruto but her.

Jiraiya nodded and started teaching Hinata the seal sequence she would need to do. With Hinata's Byakugan, the process was almost as easy as teaching an Uchiha a new jutsu. Hinata just observed how Jiraiya's chakra moved and how he molded it in his hand seals and body. It only took a few performances of the jutsu before Hinata was able to do it herself. Now all that was left was the wait for the sun to set and the complete absence of Naruto's kitsune blood. Hinata was aware of the moment Naruto was 100 percent human because she often spent these nights with him on missions and sleepovers when in Konoha. Naruto always felt the need for a comforting face around and Hinata was the best choice followed by Kyuubi. Hinata carefully stepped into the seal and smiled at Naruto as he lay twiddling his thumbs to relieve his boredom. "Are you ready Naruto-kun?" asked the girl.

"Are you kidding? I've never been anticipating losing my powers so much! This stupid talisman is screwing up my chakra and I can't summon anything more powerful than a five tailed kitsune!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata giggled and activated her Byakugan. She watched Naruto's youki slowly fade away and leave him with just his normal chakra. Hinata quickly went through the hand seals Jiraiya had shown her and placed her hand on the 'seal' character on Naruto's chest. Hinata's cheeks turned bright red as she felt Naruto's chest. Years of training with his father and Sasuke had given Naruto a very firm chest and Hinata's blush deepened at the though of her resting her head against it. Hinata was brought out of her daydreams by the feel of paper under her hand. Hinata smiled and pulled the talisman off of Naruto, who jerked as if he had been pricked by a pin before grinning widely. "Yatta, I feel great! I can't wait until I get my tails and ears back!" exclaimed Naruto before he grabbed Hinata in a hug and spun her around. Kyuubi and Ken both stopped channeling their respective energies and fell onto their backs panting.

"Naruto, if this ever happens again remind me to summon a few kitsune to help back me up, I'm not as young as I used to be," said Kyuubi.

"I wouldn't say that, you've still got a good…" WHAM! Jiraiya's perverted remark was cut off by Ken smacking his former sensei on the head.

"That's my wife you're talking about sensei," growled Ken. Kyuubi smiled and crawled across the floor to sit in Ken's lap with her tails wrapped around him. "Only I get to make remarks on how sexy she is," continued the Hokage with the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes that Naruto often showed. Kyuubi blushed and silenced her mate by the most effective means available, initiating a make out session.

"Now this is familiar, how many times have I shown up for mission reports and found you two making out in your office, sensei?" asked Rin with a smile.

"Too many," muttered Kyuubi as she pulled back long enough to take in air before diving back down again. Rin smiled and then glared at the drooling Jiraiya as he jotted down notes in his note book.

"Come on Ero-sennin, let's go see what the kids are up to," said Rin as she grabbed Jiraiya's collar and dragged him

(0o0o0)

The younger shinobi had wisely vacated the room and were in the kitchen. Naruto was currently digging through the refrigerator and making everyone some simple sandwiches. Rin giggled at the sight, reminded of her first time baby-sitting Naruto.

_Rin's flashback begins_

"Naru-chan, where are you?" exclaimed Rin. The young Chunnin had been honored to watch over her sensei's son for the evening and now she had lost him. 'Sensei is going to kill me and I don't even want to think about what Kyuubi-san will do to me!' Rin shuddered as she mentally pictured a large red fox looming over her, its eyes promising pain beyond her mind's ability to comprehend.

A sudden rustling in the Uzumaki kitchen caught Rin's ears and she quickly made her way into the kitchen. There she found Naruto's lower body sticking out of a cupboard with his two tails wagging happily. Rin grabbed Naruto's feet and pulled him out of the cupboard and held him in mid air. Naruto was holding a large number of ramen packets in his arms and had three in his mouth. Both of Naruto's fox tails wiggled back and forth happily and his eyes screamed, 'I'm so cute you'll let me have all this ramen!' Rin giggled and said, "Naru-chan, I'm afraid you'll have to put most of those back. Your parents said I could make two packs of ramen per meal and I'm sticking to that."

Naruto's ears and tails dropped downwards and his eyes lost their mischievous sparkle. The little fox boy's expression was one Rin had been dreading; the one that meant Naruto was going to be stubborn. "Naru-chan, if you put away the extra ramen I'll take you to see Hinata-chan after lunch!"

Very few things could deter Naruto from his ramen, Hinata being one of them. Before Rin could blink Naruto had all the ramen back in the cupboard and was bouncing up and down by the door. Naruto was chanting, "Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan!" over and over again, causing Rin to giggle.

_End flashback_

Rin was brought back to the present by a drop of water hitting the top of her head courtesy of Haku. Rin scowled and chased the dragon hanyou girl around the kitchen to the cheers of Naruto, Akemi, Hinata, and Aki while Jiraiya sat to the side sipping sake. The happiness filling the room warmed Jiraiya's heart as he knew many children were forced to grow up quickly to become shinobi and had few chances to relax and have fun like this. Konoha was lucky to be in a time of peace and stability. Jiraiya silently vowed to make sure that Orochimaru failed to destroy this happy life and make sure this peace continued.

(0o0o0)

The moon rose into the sky and beheld a large number of happy and exhausted genin in the Uzumaki house. Naruto was acting as Hinata's pillow as they shared a blanket while cuddling. Haku and Akemi were in a similar position, though Haku was using Akemi's tails as insulation. Aki was the only one of the genin still awake, staring at Haku and Akemi as memories of her older brother before he betrayed Konoha flashing through her head. "Ni-san, why did you have to leave me?" whispered Aki before sleep claimed her. Unknown to Aki, the evening breeze carried her whisper to Rin's ears. The Jounin's heart went out to the girl; she knew how hard the loss of a loved one could be. The memory of Obito was always in her mind even after she had made her peace with his sacrifice to save Kakashi and her during the war with Hidden Stone.

'I'll have to talk to her tomorrow, looks like her mother has been pestering her again. No doubt the fact that Aki failed to make it to the Third round was deemed a failure. I'm going to have to talk to Tamahashi-san; Aki did very well against Lee even if she did lose. Her use of her family jutsu was impressive,' Rin said to herself as she sat on the roof watching the moon. Rin viewed her genin charges as the younger sisters she never had. Her mother, a wind sorceress named Kagura, had died defending Konoha from an invasion of Hidden Stone shinobi shortly after Obito's death while her father had been killed trying to save her. Rin had been left alone except for her team and the young girls she now taught as her surrogate family. Rin was especially concerned for Aki. Aki's mother constantly pressured her to do better even when she did her best and Rin could tell that Aki would burn herself out if this continued.

(0o0o0)

The next morning was announced by a yell of "Yatta, I got my tails back!" from Naruto as he awoke to find his tails wrapped around Hinata. Hinata's reaction was typical for her: she grabbed a tail and hugged it like a teddy bear as she reveled in the feel of her favorite furry appendage. The rest of the genin however responded differently. A huge pillow fight was started after Haku threw a pillow at Naruto, who returned the favor, only to miss and hit Akemi. Akemi's retaliation hit Hinata and the Hyuuga heiress started chasing the fox girl around the room, only to trip over Aki as she sat up. From there everything became a blur as pillows flew through the air and slammed into heads. Naruto and Akemi demonstrated that tails could be used to wield multiple pillows very effectively. Aki used her shadow hand to do the same thing while Hinata discovered that holding a pillow out and spinning but not expelling chakra for her heavenly spin lead to a severe beating for Akemi when Hinata managed to corner her.

Rin, Jiraiya, and Ken came downstairs to find the kids lying on the floor with pillows in hand and gasping for breath. "You do realize Kyuubi-san is going to throw a fit if you don't get this mess cleaned up before she gets down here, right?" asked Rin as she raised one eyebrow and surveyed the feather covered room.

All five of the genin sported pale faces as they heard Kyuubi asking, "Why would I do that?" as she exited the master bedroom. With a flash of yellow light, Naruto was zipping around the room cleaning up the numerous feathers as quickly as he could as the girls held the pillowcases open for him to restuff. By the time Kyuubi arrived downstairs, Naruto was on his back panting as the girls placed the pillows back in their original places. "What are you talking about Rin? I don't think this room has ever been so clean before," said Kyuubi.

"Oh nothing," said Rin with a smile.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto, would you knock it off? I know you're happy to have your tails back but isn't that a bit excessive?" asked Akemi as she watched Naruto use his tails to feed himself breakfast. Akemi had no idea how Naruto was managing to use chopsticks with his tails, she certainly didn't have the manual dexterity necessary to attempt such a feat. Naruto was also passing anything people requested with his free tails.

Hinata giggled as the tail wrapped around her waist gently squeezed her in a hug and said, "Come on Akemi-chan, he's been missing them for so long and now he has to make sure there aren't any kinks in them."

"I guess, but does he have to get hair in the syrup for my pancakes?" demanded Akemi. Naruto froze and looked closely at Akemi's plate to see several blond hairs stuck in the syrup.

"Look at the time, I've got to train!" exclaimed Naruto before he ran out of the house with Gishou at his heels. Kyuubi sighed and resolved to make sure Naruto scrubbed his tails very carefully that night to get rid of any loose fur as well as discuss the fact that running away from an angry girl only made things worse, especially if you lived in the same house as them.

"Hinata, I don't know how you fell for him," muttered Akemi as she dumped the contaminated pancakes into the trash and got a fresh batch from the stack on the counter. "I admit Naruto could easily kick my ass and he's a great guy, but some times he makes me so mad! Like his annoying habit of forgetting to turn on the fan in the bathroom while he's taking a shower and fogging the whole room up, or the time he walked on the ceiling and was above me when I woke up from a nap!" Haku remembered that situation well, Akemi had chased Naruto for half an hour before he tripped and received a beating for scaring Akemi.

"That's easy, Naruto-kun is kind, charming, brave, and loves me so much he'd risk his life for me," said Hinata before she carried her empty dishes to the sink and went off to train with Naruto. Hinata found Naruto in the training ground shared by Team 7 and Team Kunoichi making sure his kitsune abilities had not degraded from lack of use. Hinata watched as Naruto's flame covered fists and feet drummed out a rapid beat on a training log. Hinata knew that by the end of the day that log would be reduced to burnt splinters. Rock Lee currently held the village record for the largest number of training logs destroyed in a month by himself with Naruto and Sasuke tied for second place.

"Hey Hinata-chan, what do you think Sasuke is doing now?" asked Naruto as he unleashed a rapid seven kick combo on the log.

"I'm not sure, but Kakashi-sensei is probably training him to increase his speed so he can avoid Neji-ni-san's hands when he performs the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou. If I was Kakashi-sensei I'd be teaching Sasuke something that would allow him to punch through Gaara's sand if you fail to beat him and they face each other. I know Neji-ni-san learned my Tenken and will use it if he has to face Gaara while Lee-san will use his speed to avoid Gaara's sand. Shino-kun I'm not too sure of, but I'm pretty sure he has something that can effect Gaara and Shikamaru-kun is a genius who'd give up rather than fight Gaara. You have the Shunshin to boost your speed and your kitsune abilities. I think any of you besides Shikamaru-kun will be a match for Gaara," replied Hinata.

"Thanks Hinata-chan, but something about Gaara makes me nervous. His chakra has an almost evil feel to it, sort of like Oka-san's when she's really angry at Kakashi-sensei for reading his book in the house or sees someone mistreating a kid," said Naruto.

"So you think he's a hanyou?" asked Hinata.

"I'm not sure, he smells more like Kiba than Haku, more of a faint Tanuki odor like Kiba has the smell of dog on him. It's a part of him but yet not a part. I can't really explain it except to Kiba, Akemi, or Oka-san since they're the only ones who could translate a smell into words," explained Naruto.

Hinata said, "Well, even if he is a Tanuki hanyou, you'll still win Naruto-kun! You have the blood of Ken-sama and Kyuubi-sama inside you, two of the strongest people in the village. Gaara may be the son of the Kazekage, but I know for a fact that the Kazekage's late wife was human; Otou-san mentioned that she died in childbirth. So Gaara's Tanuki blood would be from his grandparents at least, possibly more distant." The Hyuuga heiress blushed and played with her fingers a little while Naruto stared at her.

"Thanks Hinata, I needed that. You always know what to say to cheer me up," said Naruto with a smile. "Now come on, I have something neat to show you!" Naruto led Hinata to her house.

(0o0o0)

Haku sighed as she rested from sparring with Akemi and Rin. The dragon hanyou girl was training hard to learn to manipulate and sense water deep underground so she could bring it up to use in her jutsu. Haku glanced up as Rin sat down beside her.

"Yen for your thoughts?" asked Rin.

"I can't get Sasuke out of my head," explained Haku. "I know he's strong and all, but Neji-kun is also extremely talented. One wrong move and he could accidentally kill Sasuke before anyone could give him medical attention. Being a medic-nin, I know first hand how dangerous the Hyuuga Taijutsu style is and how much damage it can do."

Rin smiled and said, "You know Neji won't try to kill Sasuke though, the matches we have to worry about are with the three from Suna. Those three just might kill their opponents, especially that Gaara kid, he's quite the bloodthirsty little guy."

"What about the Oto Nin? He's pretty ruthless and could be a real problem for Shino," asked Haku.

Rin's happy face changed into a grim one as she said, "The other day his body was found. You know those two dolphin statues on the roof of the post office? That's where he was. Forensics placed the time of death as the middle of the previous night and found grains of sand on him. More disturbing is the fact that Hayate's body was found nearby. Only Hayate was killed by what looks like a sword, except I know the jutsu used to kill him." Rin raised two fingers and said, "Kaze no Yaiba (Wind Blade)!"

Haku stared in amazement as a blade of wind formed from Rin's fingers. The Jounin walked up to a dented kunai left over from practice earlier and easily sliced it in half with the wind blade. "That's what killed Hayate-san?" asked Haku.

Rin nodded. "No doubt about it," she said with a frown, "The cut was too clean for a normal sword. Kaze no Yaiba uses a vacuum shaped by chakra controlled wind to act like a sword blade and makes perfect cuts." Haku nodded, she had seen how jagged some of the cuts were from Zabuza's sword were even right after he sharpened it. A vacuum blade would not leave a jagged cut and could easily cut through bone.

"So who is the main suspect in killing Hayate-san?" asked Akemi as she sat down beside Haku.

"Well, after I identified the jutsu used to kill Hayate, Hokage-sama sent the ANBU out to scour the village. The most likely suspect is the Sand trio's sensei, Baki. I just wish I was a full fledged wind sorceress like my mother was, then I could ask the wind who killed Hayate since they used a wind based jutsu," muttered Rin with a pout that made her look years younger and caused Haku and Akemi to giggle.

"Don't worry Rin-sensei, you'll figure it out and kick the bastard's ass!" exclaimed Akemi.

(0o0o0)

Hyuuga Hiashi was having a nice day. Even though Hinata had failed to pass the preliminary round for the Chunnin Exam, she had fought well and brought much honor to her family. Hiashi had seen the recorded tape of her fight with Gaara and was immensely proud that his daughter had been able to penetrate Gaara's defenses and wound him. Neji had made it past the preliminary round and would be fighting Uchiha Sasuke, a match many were eager to see. Hiashi was also looking forward to Naruto's match against Gaara, the two of them had proven to be extremely strong.

Hiashi was currently on his way to the room where his wife Hikari was resting from a headache brought on by the elder's demands to get Hinata engaged to a wealthy young lord from Hidden Stone. Hiashi and Hikari were vehemently opposed to this, they knew their daughter was happy with Naruto and planned to keep it that way. As Hiashi walked past Hinata's room, he heard something that caused him to freeze and slowly turn towards the door.

"Oh yeah Hinata-chan, that feel so good!" exclaimed Naruto. Hinata's reply with muffled so Hiashi couldn't make out what she said. "Now it's my turn," said Naruto before there was a rustle of fabric and Hinata let out a squeal of delight. Hiashi's brain was starting to function again, though he found he couldn't move as the sound of Hinata making small happy moans seemed to echo in the empty hall.

'They wouldn't, not before they're married,' thought Hiashi before all rational thought left him and he burst through the door in full power angry dad mode. A simple Genjutsu made Hiashi's head several times its normal size and his pale eyes were covered in flames as the veins around them bulged to show the Byakugan was active. "NARUTO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY….daughter?" asked Hiashi as he slowly deflated and quieted down. Naruto and Hinata stared at Hiashi in shock. Hinata had somehow gained kitsune ears and tails like Naruto's, only the same blue as her hair. Naruto was currently scratching Hinata's right ear and the girl was making appreciative noises before her father burst in on them. Hinata had one of Naruto's tails in a hug and was stroking it. Hiashi stared at the two lovebirds before asking in a quiet voice, that nevertheless had Naruto trembling in fear, "Naruto, why is my daughter a kitsune hanyou?"

"Oka-san taught me a special jutsu that would allow Hinata-chan to temporarily have fox ears and tails like me so she could become used to them," explained Naruto.

"Why does she need to become used to being a hanyou?" asked Hiashi. Hiashi may have seemed calm, but Naruto could smell the tension in the room and the killing intent the protective father was radiating was almost tangible. Naruto figured he had to act fast or he'd face one extremely ticked off and overprotective father.

"Well, according to Oka-san when Hinata-chan and I get married or become mates we exchange a bit of blood to seal the relationship between us. This is normally done so that a youkai or hanyou who marries a human can share their long life with their mate. In this case, Oka-san's blood is so strong that Hinata-chan will become a kitsune hanyou like me. Oka-san decided Hinata-chan should have a chance to experience having ears and tails before the change so she isn't disoriented too much," explained Naruto.

Hiashi took a deep breath and counted to ten in his head before speaking. "I can understand your reasoning, but please inform me when you do such experimenting in the future. I would like a chance to observe this jutsu in action; not that I don't trust your mother, but I want to see how it works for myself," said Hiashi in a tone that would not stand for any argument. Naruto nodded rapidly before resuming his scratching of Hinata's fox ears. Hiashi walked off with Hinata's happy purrs echoing through the halls. Hiashi missed seeing Neji with his nose buried in a book to hide the veins showing his Byakugan was active as he made sure Naruto didn't do anything improper to Hinata. Neji had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at Hiashi's reaction as he barged into Hinata's room. Neji knew his uncle wouldn't use the curse seal on him, but he would make Neji's next training session pure hell for the Hyuuga genius.

(0o0o0)

Uchiha Sasuke ran as fast as he could through the dark forest. Behind him was a pack of Oni, each with blazing Mangekyou Sharingan eyes and a bloody katana. Sasuke looked like he did on the night of his clan's massacre and he was helpless to wake up from this nightmare. 'If they catch me, I'll never be free of Itachi!' Sasuke thought as he grabbed for his kunai and shuriken, only to find them gone. 'Crap, why can't I wake up?' Sasuke thought before he rounded a bend to find himself trapped in a clearing with no way through the thick wall of trees except the path behind him. Before Sasuke could even think of climbing a tree to escape, the Oni were in the clearing. The monsters formed a barrier to his only escape, since they could easily reach him if he tried to jump them and would grab him if he turned to run up a nearby tree. The crowd of Oni suddenly parted and a figure strode through them, growing larger and larger as it drew closer. Sasuke was suddenly gripped by a fear greater than any he had ever known before as he saw the Mangekyou Sharingan form into a three pointed shuriken shape, which meant only one thing. "Itachi!" hissed Sasuke.

"So little brother, I see you still hate me. Keep running if you wish to survive. Hate me and grow strong," said Itachi.

"No, I will not give in to you!" yelled Sasuke as he suddenly regained his normal appearance.

"Foolish, so weak and pitiful. I see it was a mistake to let you live," said Itachi as he drew his katana. Sasuke whipped out his Fuuma Shuriken and prepared to face the attack when a bright light appeared behind him and an ice dragon shot past Sasuke to slam into Itachi.

"Take one step closer to him and I'll rip you to pieces!" said a loud voice that Sasuke recognized easily. Looking behind himself, Sasuke saw Haku standing on one of the trees, her hanyou features clearly visible and water swirling around her.

"And why should I listen to you?" asked Itachi.

Haku's face suddenly sported a very Narutoish smirk before she said, "I'm fighting to protect my precious person!" before she raised her hand and a giant ice dragon shot towards Itachi.

Itachi countered with the Uchiha signature jutsu, Katon Gyokaku no Jutsu (Fire Type: Grand Fireball skill), only for Sasuke to use Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Type: Water Dragon Blast skill) and wipe out the fireball and leave the way clear for Haku's ice dragon to slam into Itachi. Itachi was instantly frozen in a block of ice, while Sasuke's hands flashed through a series of hand seals as he crouched down before grabbing his left arm with his right. Blue chakra gathered around Sasuke's left hand and the sounds of a thousand birds echoed through the clearing. Sasuke charged Itachi, the Chidori in his hand blazing as the Sharingan wheels in his eyes spun. Sasuke rammed the Chidori into Itachi's ice prison, causing it to shatter into thousands of pieces along with Itachi.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke awoke with a gasp, his heart pounding from the vivid dream he had. He remembered walking up to Itachi's head, which had somehow survived the explosion and had a look of surprise on it's face, and reducing it to ash with Katon Gyokaku no Jutsu. Haku had run up and tackled Sasuke to the ground so they landed with her on top and promptly kissed him hard on the lips. Everything after that was kind of hazy, but Sasuke was very satisfied when he woke up.

"Pleasant dream?" asked a voice behind Sasuke, causing the raven haired bishounen to grab a kunai and spin around; only to completely miss the tips of Kakashi's hair as the one eyed Jounin ducked to avoid the attack. "I heard you moan Haku's names a few times. Have you by any chance been reading my book?" asked Kakashi. Said book was inches from Sasuke's face and showed a very inappropriate scene.

Sasuke's face turned red and he shoved the book away. "Gah, Kakashi no Hentai! Get that disgusting filth away from me!" yelled Sasuke. Both shinobi suddenly felt a massive killing intent behind Kakashi and turned to see Rin standing by the side of a large seven tailed kitsune. A red aura was surrounding Rin and Sasuke was suddenly thinking he would rather face Gaara, Neji, and Naruto all at the same time instead of Rin.

"Kyuubi-san sent us to get you now so you two wouldn't be late for Sasuke's match, but I think we're going to have to wait a while before we leave," said Rin as she pulled her Bokken from her belt. "Sasuke, you get your gear and head off with Kyoichi, I've got to talk to my old team mate," growled Rin. Sasuke didn't need to be told twice and had all his gear packed in a few minutes and sat himself down on the kitsune's back. Kyoichi quickly started the three hour journey back to Konoha while Rin dealt with her perverted team mate. Kakashi's cries of pain followed Sasuke and Kyoichi for half an hour before the sounds of the beating faded. Half an hour after that, Rin appeared out of a small tornado with Kakashi's bruised and battered body slung across her shoulder. Seeing Sasuke's interested look, Rin grinned and said, "Wind Walker, it's a wind sorceress ability I inherited from my mother. Not very useful in battle, but great for popping up behind enemy lines and allowing me to blast them!" The foursome continued their trip back to Konoha, well Sasuke, Kyoichi, and Rin did, Kakashi was being dragged along by one of Kyoichi's tails.

(0o0o0)

Hinata smiled as she watched a pink Naruto chase Konohamaru around the training ground. Sarutobi's grandson had thrown a water balloon at Naruto that the blond had sensed and reacted to on instinct, using a kunai to deflect the incoming 'weapon' only to slash the balloon and find himself covered in pink dye. Naruto had chased Konohamaru to the training grounds where Hinata was helping Hanabi with her Jyuken practice. Both girls were looking at their object of affection and laughing as Konohamaru frantically dodged bursts of foxfire meant to make him unable to sit down for a week. Gishou was curled up in Hanabi's lap resting. Both of the Genin suddenly froze before Hinata grabbed Hanabi and leapt away as a large hand of sand shot up where they had been. Gishou went flying into the trees and a low thump told Naruto his pet had hit a tree and was most likely unconscious. Naruto grabbed and tossed Konohamaru to Hinata before summoning some Kage Bunshins to back him up as he yelled, "Come out here now Gaara, I know you're there!" Gaara slowly stepped out from behind some trees, his face emotionless. The red haired boy stretched out his arm and sand flowed out of his gourd and towards Hinata, Konohamaru, and Hanabi. One of Naruto's clones leapt in front of the sand, sacrificing itself to give the three a chance to get away. Naruto and his remaining clones glared at Gaara. "What are you doing here, you bastard?" demanded the blond. "What are you up to?"

"Yeah, what were you trying to do to Hinata-ne-san?" yelled Hanabi from her place behind Konohamaru.

"I was trying to kill her," said Gaara, causing both Naruto and Hinata's mouths to drop in shock.

'How can he say that so calmly?' wondered Hinata before speaking up. "Why is there a need to do that? You won our fight. Do you have some personal grudge against me?"

"I don't, I'm going to kill you just because I want to kill you," replied Gaara in the same calm tone he had used this whole time.

"What the hell are you talking about? You must have had an even more messed up childhood than Sasuke!" yelled Naruto.

"If you get in my way, I'll kill you too," said Gaara.

"Go ahead and try!" roared Naruto.

"I know how strong you are, but you haven't even begun to see Naruto-kun's power!" said Hinata. "He was not going all out in the preliminaries and it's two to one. You're at a disadvantage. If you listen to what we have to say, we'll let you leave quietly."

Gaara's eyes flickered to Hinata for a minute before focusing on Naruto again before the sand user said, "I'll say it again, get in my way and I'll kill you."

"I won't be killed by the likes of you!" growled Naruto as his hanyou features appeared. "You may have the strength of a monster, but I've got the blood of the strongest kitsune to walk this world inside my veins and the blood of Konoha's Yellow Flash!"

"A monster eh? Then, it's the same for me. As you said, I had a messed up child hood. I was born into this world by taking the life of the woman I would have called my mother to become the ultimate shinobi, with my father attaching the incarnation of sand upon me through ninjutsu. I was born a monster," said Gaara. "Called Shukaku, it was sealed inside a kettle. It's the spirit of an old Suna priest."

Hinata gasped as she realized what Gaara was implying. 'Unlike Naruto-kun, who was born out of his parents' love, Gaara was born to be a tool for his village.' "To go that far, what a twisted and horrible distortion of love!" she exclaimed.

"Love? Don't judge me by your measuring stick. Family, you wanna know what that is to me? It's simply pieces of meat, connected to me with murderous intent and hatred. With the loss of my mother's life, my father the Kazekage created me as the village's greatest masterpiece. My father taught me the ninja arts; I was spoiled and allowed to do as I pleased. I thought that was love, until that incident occurred," said Gaara.

Naruto was staring to get a very bad feeling about this, but he had to know what Gaara was talking about. "What incident was that?" asked the blond. Seeing a creepy smile appear on Gaara's face as his pupils dilated, Naruto's bad feeling grew worse. "What happened?"

"For the last six years from when I was six years old, my own father tried to have me assassinated countless times!" said Gaara, causing Naruto, Hinata, Konohamaru, and Hanabi to recoil in horror.

"But you said he spoiled you, what do you mean?" demanded Konohamaru.

"A being too strong can become an existence of fear. Born through jutsu my spirit was unstable, it seems the idiots in the village finally realized there was a problem. To my father, Kazekage, I was the village's trump card, but at the same time, I was also a very dangerous being. By the time I was six it was determined that I was too dangerous to live and as the village's dangerous tool, I was only used with caution. I was a reminder of a past everyone wanted to forget. I could find no reason for existence. But as you live you need a reason; otherwise it's the same as being dead," explained Gaara.

Naruto remembered how the older villagers used to be nervous around his mother and him when they went for their evening rides and knew that Gaara felt that pain everyday. 'He's just like I used to be, thinking he's all alone in the world. I had my parents, Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou to help me, he had no one.

"I then came to this conclusion: I exist only to kill every human besides myself. I finally found relief within the fear of death, never knowing when someone would try to assassinate me. By continuously killing the assassins, I understood the reason to continue living," said the sand user. "Fighting only for yourself, living while loving only yourself. If you think that everyone exists simply to allow you to feel that feeling, nothing is better than that world. As long as there are people for me to kill, and to continue to feel that joy of living, my existence will not vanish." Gaara's sand suddenly surged up all around him and shot towards Naruto and Hinata as the sand user's eyes dilated and he exclaimed, "Now, let me feel it!"

"That is enough!" roared a loud voice and everyone froze before turning to see Kyuubi standing on the edge of the clearing. The kitsune woman was dressed in a battle Kimono like Haku used to wear with her fox features showing and an expression that promised immense pain for anyone who didn't listen to her. "The finals are in three days, don't get antsy. Or do you want to find yourself alone in a cell?"

Gaara's eyes widened and he almost looked scared for a second before turning and walking into the trees. "I'll definitely kill you two," he said to Naruto and Hinata as he looked over his shoulder before disappearing from their sight.

"Naruto, I'm going to need you to come with me, recent events have revealed that things are more serious than I believed," said Kyuubi quietly. Naruto nodded and gave Hinata a quick goodbye hug before following his mother. Hinata quickly lead Konohamaru and Hanabi to the ice cream shop to get their minds off Gaara.

(0o0o0)

Once they were out of sight from Hinata's Byakugan, Kyuubi seemed to slash the air and open a rip in mid air. "Naruto, what I'm about to show and tell you must stay between us, understood?" Naruto nodded, having seen his mother create realms before. A realm was basically a small pocket dimension Kyuubi could access at any time. She mostly used them to store the numerous scrolls, weapons, and other things she had collected over the years. This one was different, it was basically a large room with a circle in the middle of the floor. Arranged around the circle at the four compass points were the characters for the four main elements. Starting from North they were Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth. A final circle was at the center of the seal, easily large enough to hold several people lying down.

"What's this for Oka-san?" asked Naruto.

"I'll explain as we go through the ceremony," replied Kyuubi, "You wait outside the seal and don't try to cross any of the lines on the floor. Naruto did as he was told and Kyuubi stood in the center of the center circle. "Naruto, I want to gather chakra and push it into the element's symbols." As Naruto did so, starting with fire, each element's symbol started to glow. "That boy Gaara has an old acquaintance of mine named Shukaku sealed inside him. Shukaku is a sand Tanuki and apparently the sealing procedure was performed badly, if it cost Gaara's mother her life. I need you to knock Gaara out during your match so I can get him alone and fix the seal on him. However, there is a chance Shukaku might break free and take control of Gaara before going on a rampage. If that happens I need you to lead him outside the village."

"What's going on Oka-san?" asked Naruto as he finished touching the earth symbol and watched the entire seal start to glow.

"You'll see in a minute. Kitsune Rei Wakedori (Fox spirit sharing/division)!" exclaimed Kyuubi. The kitsune woman started glowing brightly and Naruto was forced to close his eyes as a wave of bright chakra shot out towards him.

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was amazed to see his mother scratching the ears of her true form. The giant fox had both eyes closed as she growled happily. Naruto's lower jaw hit the ground as his eyes bulged. "What the H…" he demanded before the giant fox opened one eye and glared at him.

"Naruto, what have I told you about swearing in front of me?" demanded the fox.

"Oka-san, what is going on? How can you be in your human and true forms at the same time?" exclaimed Naruto.

"Simple, I separated my true form from my current form since it is to big to use in Konoha," said human Kyuubi. "I'm essentially two different people, but still your mother. Just think of me as your mother and her as your aunt Kyu (Lame I know, but I want to get this chapter done soon)."

"Um, okay. Hello Kyu-Oba-san!" chirped Naruto with a grin.

Kyu smiled and gave Naruto a gentle lick that had him giggling before Kyuubi started tickling him. The three enjoyed a nice tickle war with Naruto the happy loser. Kyu finally said good bye to her sister and nephew, claiming she had to rest and recover her chakra if she wanted to be of any help to Naruto if he had to summon her. The two left Kyu in her new home, since the sight of a giant fox might cause some problems if Kyuubi was seen at the same time.

(0o0o0)

The day before the final round, all of Konoha turned out to welcome the visiting Daimyo and Kazekage. Naruto and Hinata stared at the masked Kazekage who had sacrificed his own wife's life to give his village the ultimate weapon. Both Genin were disgusted by the man and Naruto found his odor to be highly unpleasant.

(0o0o0)

The roar of an eager crowd filled the Konoha stadium the next day. All the Genin except Dosu were lined up behind the referee, Shiranui Genma, a Jounin who wore his Hitai-ate as a head covering with the metal plate on the back of his head and always had a senbon stuck in his mouth. Genma had developed this habit after he realized Naruto hated needles as a child and developed the ability to use his senbon chew toy as a discouragement for running around. Naruto scowled at Genma as the man made an exaggerated spitting motion towards him as if to shoot the senbon at the blond. One thought was running through all the Konoha genins' minds, 'Where is that Dosu guy?' as they looked around for the bandaged Sound nin.

"Hey, stop looking around. Face the customers," said Genma. "In this tournament, you guys are the stars."

(0o0o0)

Ken and Kyuubi smiled as they watched Naruto, Sasuke, and Haku stand on the arena floor from their seats in the Hokage's box. Both turned and smiled as Sarutobi sat down beside them. "Sarutobi-sensei, any thoughts on the matches?" asked Ken.

"Only that Sasuke and Naruto's matches are some of the most highly anticipated in the village's history. Tsunade even sent a request to have the fights taped so she could see them, something about a medical emergency requiring her attention and preventing her from attending," replied Sarutobi.

"That's a shame, I was looking forward to having her teach Haku and Hinata a few things with me," said Kyuubi.

"Don't worry aisuru (beloved), she'll come as soon as she can," said Ken. The sound of several people entering the box caught their attention and everyone looked up to see the Kazekage and his two body guards walking up to them. "Ah, Kazekage-dono, I'm glad to see you. Your son's match against mine is one of the most anticipated fights of the day."

"Of course. I'm also highly interested in the match between the Uchiha and Hyuuga. The trip was worth it to watch those four. Sarutobi-san, Kyuubi-san, it is good to see you again," replied the Kazekage.

"Like wise Kazekage-dono. After the exam is over I would like to talk to you about your son, Gaara," said Kyuubi.

"Well, let's get this started," said Ken as he stood up and walked to the edge of the Hokage box. "Thanks everyone for coming to the Konoha Chunnin Exam! We will now start the tournament matches between the 12 participants who made it through the preliminaries. Please stay and watch until the end!"

"If it's 12, one seems to be missing," said the Kazekage quietly.

(0o0o0)

"There's something I'd like to tell you before the matches, look at this," said Genma as he held up a sheet of paper detailing the matches. "There have been some minor changes to the tournament. Dosu is unable to fight and thus Aburame Shino will fight the winner of Kankuro and Rock Lee's battle or the first person whose opponent forfeits their match at the start."

Naruto gulped as his ears picked up the sounds of angry buzzing coming from Shino at this point. The bug user had not yet had a chance to show his skills and was very annoyed. "Hey, Shino, calm down!" hissed Naruto. Shino did so reluctantly, much to the relief of the other Konoha Genin.

Genma cleared his throat before saying, "Alright everyone, this is the final test. The arena is different but the rules are the same as in the prelims, there are none. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. But if I determine the fight is over I'll step in and stop it, you got that?" all the Genin nodded. "Now the first fight, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here, the rest of you go to the waiting room." Everyone did as they were told, Lee yelling about how Neji should show everyone there the power of youth until Naruto used his tails to shut him up.

(0o0o0)

Up in the stands, Kiba was sitting with Chouji, Ino, Aki, and Hinata, with Akemi beside him and Akamaru in his lap. Kiba and Akemi suddenly stiffened as Akamaru barked and looked behind them to see a white coated ANBU at the top of the seats. 'What's an ANBU doing here? Is something going on?' was the thought that ran through both Kiba and Akemi's heads.

Everyone's attention was suddenly focused back on Neji and Sasuke as Genma yelled, "Now the first fight, begin!"

**Ugh, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. Until recently I've been looking for a job and I finally found one at a shop called Legends in the Vallco Mall in Cupertino, California. Any of you who live in the area should come check the shop out, we have a nice manga and comic selection. Now that I have a job, I can schedule my writing time around the job and not take so long, I hope. I will try to have this story done by Christmas though.**

_Special fic recommendation for all your Inuyasha and Naruto fans: My good friend and fellow author Jedi Mistress 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure is a great blend of Inuyasha and Naruto with lots of laughs. I recommend you read it for laughs if nothing else because I wrote the big battle in chapter 17 for her!_


	14. Tail 13: Tournament

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, here's the part you've all be waiting for, the "Chunnin Exam tournament! Also, please refrain from simply sending single word reviews; give me feedback so I can improve any mistakes I make. I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter, I had a very bad case of writer's block! Because College is starting soon, I'm going to have to resort to not updating at set times. I will write when I can and update when I feel ready. I'm sorry for the delay.**

_Review Responses: Due to a new rule at I can no longer respond to reviews. If you are like me and dislike this idea, send me your username and e-mail address so I can place it on a petition going around to get this rule revoked. Please help!_

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

"Uchiha," said Neji as he stared at Sasuke.

"Hyuuga," replied Sasuke.

"Shall we first go without bloodlines?" asked Neji.

"If you wish, might be more fun that way," said Sasuke with a sudden grin. Neji also grinned and then both boys exploded in a fury of blows that made their arms look like blurs. After a few seconds the two broke apart and observed one another. Neither boy was the least bit tired or sweaty. "You're very good Neji, I can see where Hinata gets her skill with the Jyuken, you trained her well."

"Hinata-san may not have my strength or speed, but her precision is even greater than mine. A near miss from me will be dead on from her. Now, let us give the crowd what they want and up the pace!" exclaimed Neji before the veins around his eyes bulged as he said, "Byakugan!"

"Sharingan!" murmured Sasuke as he blinked and stared at Neji with red eyes. Both boys grinned before Neji lunged forward with an open palmed strike that Sasuke dropped to the ground to avoid before sweeping Neji's feet out from under him. Neji used his hands to back flip back onto his feet in time to see Sasuke's fist coming right towards his face.

"Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Neji as he spun and threw Sasuke back.

Sasuke skidded backwards before his Sharingan eyes widened and he used his kunai to deflect a flurry of shuriken Neji threw at him while spinning. 'He uses the Kaiten's speed to give them more power, he's not called the Hyuuga Genius for nothing,' thought Sasuke. 'Of course, I have a few tricks up my sleeve also. Katon: Housenka (Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower)!' A swarm of fireballs shot towards Neji, who smirked and made seals Hinata recognized.

"Suiton: Mizu-gan!" yelled Neji. The water blast that shot forth from between Neji's hands was much bigger than the one Hinata had used against Akemi during their fight in Wave Country and extinguished the fireballs and knocked down the shuriken hidden in the flames. "Did you really think that since my future brother in law likes to play with fox fire I wouldn't learn a few Suiton jutsu?" asked Neji with one raised eyebrow. Before Sasuke could reply, Neji flipped through a series of hand seals before stopping on the hand seal for bird. "Toriuchi (Shooting birds)!" yelled Neji before a ball of chakra grew in-between his hands. The chakra quickly took on the form of a bird and shot towards Sasuke. Sasuke brought his arms up to block and the bird exploded as it hit them, causing him to skid backwards. The Uchiha heir lowered his arms just in time to get another bird in the face and this time he slammed into the arena wall.

(0o0o0)

"Remind me to put itching powder in Neji's shorts," muttered Naruto to Gishou, "I'm in perfect control of my fox fire!"

"What about the time you tried to light Neji's birthday cake candles and the cake exploded during Neji's eighth birthday party?" asked Gishou.

"That's because Hanabi pulled on one of my tails and startled me into losing control!" growled Naruto. Any further comments were cut off by Shikamaru using his Kagemane (Shadow Copy) no Jutsu to make Naruto insert his fist into his mouth.

"Shut up Naruto, you're so troublesome," muttered the shadow user before turning his attention back to the match.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke pulled himself out of his crater on the wall and flipped open the Fuuma Shuriken on his wrist and felt the ring of the giant shuriken land in the palm of his hand. With a flick of his wrist, Sasuke sent the Fuuma Shuriken towards Neji, only to see Neji perform Kaiten and deflect the weapon.

As Neji finished spinning he noticed Sasuke was no where in sight. Neji looked down as he felt something grab his ankle and had only a second to stare before he was pulled underground as Sasuke's voice yelled, "Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu (Earth Style: Inner Decapitation Skill) no Jutsu!" Neji looked up at Sasuke, who had a big grin on his face as he leaned over the older Genin. "How's the weather down there?" asked Sasuke.

"I wouldn't care about the weather, but you need to change your shorts, they reek!" exclaimed Neji before he released chakra from every Tenketsu in his body. The ground around Neji cracked and the Hyuuga boy exploded out of the ground while kicking Sasuke in the face. As Sasuke staggered from the blow, Neji landed and jabbed forward with an open palm attack that sent Sasuke crashing into the arena wall. "Come on Sasuke, this is pathetic. Show me the strength that made the Uchiha clan one of the most feared in the village!" said Neji. Sasuke pulled himself out of his small crater in the wall and started forming a series of hand seals no one recognized.

"Gladly, here's a little something I found in my father's private scroll collection! Honoo no Yoroi (Armor of Flame)!" yelled Sasuke. Flames sprung up around the Uchiha boy and obscured him from view, causing Haku and many other girls to scream loudly. The flames died down to show Sasuke's body covered in flames that had taken on the shape of armor. "This is one of the Uchiha clan's secret jutsu, passed down to father and son. This is our ultimate defense!" said Sasuke before he charged Neji. Neji's fist shot out and hit Sasuke's chest before Neji's eyes widened and he leapt backwards.

'Shit, that armor is hot!' Neji yelled to himself as he rapidly smothered his hands with his jacket. Indeed, Sasuke's armor had burned Neji's hand, though not too badly. 'Shit, I'll have to use something that will penetrate the flames; I doubt I can douse them.'

(0o0o0)

"Wow, I had no idea such an awesome jutsu existed!" exclaimed Naruto in the participants' box.

"Yeah, makes me wonder what other tricks he learned with Kakashi," said Shikamaru.

"Sasuke-kun's burning passion of youth is most formidable! If I fail to break his ultimate defense then I shall walk over hot coals on my hands and if I fail to do that I shall punch the log two thousand times!"

"Whatever Lee, I'll have to see if I can duplicate the effect with my fox fire," muttered Naruto.

"You'd probably burn your clothes off, Sasuke probably went through four sets of clothes a day before he perfected that technique," said Gishou. No one noticed that Haku's eyes widened at the idea of Sasuke's armor disappearing and leaving him completely nude or the small bit of drool coming out of her mouth.

"Nah, his boxers are made from kitsune hair from Oka-san and are designed to withstand the hottest flames. Oka-san didn't want him left nude if my fox fire got out of control during training and I burned up all his clothes," replied Naruto. Haku's dreams of a naked Sasuke shattered and were replaced by the thought of the Uchiha in just his boxers. The blush on the imaginary Sasuke's cheeks had Haku giggling happily.

"Haku-chan is scary!" whispered Naruto as everyone edged away from the suddenly giggling dragon girl. Even the three Sand siblings looked creped out. Haku suddenly realized that the whole group was staring at her strangely and started to blush as her mouth snapped closed.

(0o0o0)

Down in the arena, Sasuke shuddered and thought, 'Someone must be thinking about me or gossiping about me, I just hope it isn't some of my fan girls.' Sasuke was brought out of his thoughts by Neji's palm hitting his forehead.

"Come on Sasuke, what kind of shinobi lets their guard down in the middle of a fight?" demanded Neji as he managed to look both highly annoyed and superior.

"Sorry, I got distracted by an ominous feeling that kicks in whenever a fan girl is about to attack," said Sasuke with a slight blush on his face.

"Hmph, you're in the field of my divination! Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou (Sixty-four Point Hands)!" exclaimed Neji before attacking Sasuke, only something was different about the attack this time. A blue glow surrounded Neji's hands and protected him from the heat of Sasuke's armor. Neji however was unable to penetrate the armor and close any Tenketsu.

(0o0o0)

Aki watched Neji from her place beside Rin and Hinata. "Hinata, your cousin is incredible! To be able to protect his hands like that while still accurately hitting the Tenketsu is amazing!" exclaimed Aki. (AN: note Neji isn't closing the Tenketsu, he's just hitting them through the armor, so Aki is amazed at his concentration and chakra control)

Hiashi Hyuuga nodded from his seat above Hinata and there was obvious pride in his voice as he said, "Neji has proved that the branch house is just as strong as the main house. With him backing Hinata the division of the houses will be over for the next generation and their children will not have to follow our outdated traditions." Hizashi smiled as well, full of pride for his son. The two brothers had tried to break the division between the houses in their youth after Hiashi became the head of the main house, but the Hyuuga elders prevented this. Now that the heirs to both houses were proven to be strong leaders, the Elders would have less control in the future.

(0o0o0)

Down below, Sasuke and Neji glared at each other. Neji was worried; he couldn't seem to break through Sasuke's flame armor. Sasuke on the other hand was getting tired. 'Crap, I can't keep the Honoo no Yoroi up forever, I'm losing chakra fast. I just have one shot at this!' he thought before grabbing a smoke bomb from his supply pouch and tossing it at Neji's feet. The Hyuuga boy was a second to slow to react with a Kaiten and the spin just condensed the smoke from the bomb exploding around him. Neji leapt out of the smoke cloud in time to see Sasuke charging him. Neji landed and delivered an open palm attack to Sasuke's face, only to see Sasuke disappear in a puff of smoke. Before Neji could react, he heard Sasuke yell, "Kazanfunka (Volcanic Eruption) no Jutsu!" (All Neji fan girls, please don't kill the dragon for what happens next) Fire shot up from beneath Neji as well as some large chunks of rock. The Hyuuga boy had no chance to defend himself and took the attack full force. When Neji hit the ground, his clothes were almost non existent except for his boxers and a white sleeveless undershirt. Neji's mind idly noted that his hair was completely unharmed and he had to shudder at the thought of leaving the arena bald.

(0o0o0)

Up in the stands, Aki had to fight to keep from drooling like Naruto did at the thought of Ramen at the sight of the scantily clad Neji. Hinata saw this and resolved to make sure Aki visited Neji while he was recovering from this match. 'Neji-ni-san helped me gain the confidence to ask Naruto-kun out, now I'll help him with his love life!' Hinata cheered inside her head. Indeed, Neji had spent several days building up Hinata's confidence and giving her the courage to ask Naruto out.

(0o0o0)

"Oh man, I am going to need a nice cold bath after that," mustered Neji as he barely managed to raise his head to look at Sasuke. The Uchiha boy was bent over and panting from the strain of using Kage Bunshin for the first time followed by the Kazanfunka technique. "Good fight Sasuke, you win," said Neji. Sasuke grinned before falling over backwards and groaning.

"We'll have to fight again some day," said Sasuke as they both listened to the cheers filling the stadium as Genma declared Sasuke the winner. Medic nins immediately surrounded the two boys. Neji was forced to receive a thorough check up while Sasuke got off with just taking a solider pill to restore his chakra.

(0o0o0)

Neji sighed as the nurses finally left him alone in a quiet room to recover after his fight with Sasuke. A large monitor on the wall showed the center of the arena where the next match would take place. There were also many other beds, each with their own monitor so all the patients had a good view of the remaining battles. A knock on the door diverted the Hyuuga genius's attention from his mental review of the match. "Come in," said Neji. The door opened and a small black blur crashed into Neji's side. "Ack, Hanabi-chan, LET GO!" screamed Neji as his little cousin showed how strong her grip was.

"Hanabi-imouto-chan, don't squeeze Neji-ni-san so tightly, he just had a tough match," said Hinata as she entered the room with Hiashi and Hizashi.

Hanabi eased up on her hug but didn't release Neji as she grinned at him. "You did a great job Neji-ni-chan! Otou-san even said you're going to be training me soon!"

"Did he?" asked Neji with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes I did. Hinata and Hanabi could not hope to get a better instructor and your training will now be supervised by myself as well as your father. I believe it is time the Branch house learned the Main House's traditional jutsu. This will give the elders an ulcer for sure!" said Hiashi with an evil grin. Hizashi chuckled, sometime his brother was an even bigger mischief maker than Naruto when it came to the stubborn and tradition bound Hyuuga elders. A timid knock on the door brought everyone's attention to it as it opened a bit and Aki peeped in.

"Gomen, but I was wondering if Neji-kun would be able to join us in watching the rest of the fights?" she asked, her cheeks slightly pink. Hinata smiled to herself, she didn't even have to force Aki to come down here! Lee and Tenten were behind Aki and both gave Neji big grins.

"I'm sorry, but Neji-kun needs to stay in bed," said one of the nurses from outside the room. Seeing the annoyed look in Neji's eyes, she continued, "Kyuubi-sama's orders, and believe me, you don't want her mad at you!"

"WHAT? HOW CAN YOU DENY NEJI'S POWER OF YOUTH THE CHANCE TO SHOW?" roared the voice of a certain green spandex wearing Jounin. Gai had just walked up to congratulate Neji for doing so well against Sasuke, only to hear the nurse's declaration.

"Gai-sensei, this is a hospital facility, you must keep your voice down!" said the nurse.

"NONSENSE, MY FLAME OF YOUTH WILL EASE THE PAIN OF THESE WEARY SOULS AND…." BAM! Gai's youth rant was cut off by Kyuubi smacking him with a giant wooden mallet.

"Gai, how many times have I told you no yelling in the hospital?" asked Kyuubi as she placed the mallet over one shoulder in preparation for another swing if Gai didn't answer correctly. Gai wisely took the hint and shut up. "Now, Neji needs rest. Lee, you need to get out there and watch the next match. Tenten, make sure your sensei goes with you. Aki, you can stay and help Neji by getting him any snacks or drinks he needs since I don't want him leaving that bed, understood?"

"Hai!" exclaimed Aki and Neji before they turned to blink at each other. Kyuubi grinned and grabbed the remote for the room's television and turned it on to show the start of the next match between Shikamaru and Temari.

(0o0o0)

In the fighter's waiting box, Haku was busy fussing over Sasuke, much to Sakura's annoyance. The dragon girl had forced Sasuke to take a solider pill by using Puppy Eyes no Jutsu and allow her to examine him for any damage. Haku enthusiastically pulled off Sasuke's shirt to examine his chest and back, making sure to keep Sasuke in a corner of the box and herself between Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto glanced at the infuriated pink haired girl and carefully put Lee and Gaara between himself and her fists. 'Note to self: make sure you're never between Sakura and Sasuke until she gets a clue.' Naruto then turned his attention to the center of the arena where Genma had stepped forward.

"Next fight is Nara Shikamaru VS. Temari," said the examiner.

"Che, waste of time," muttered Temari before whipping her fan open. With a swing of the fan, Temari created a strong gust of wind before tossing the fan into the air and landing on top of it. Temari proceeded to ride her fan down to the arena floor where she dismounted and folded the fan up to stand beside her.

"Looks like you're eager to get started," said Genma as he looked at her. "Shikamaru, get down here!"

'What's she getting all excited about? I wish she would just die. How come I'm the only one who has their matches switched around so much? Well, I guess I can just forfeit,' thought Shikamaru. But fate (Meaning me the author) was thinking otherwise

"Alright Shikamaru, go for it!" yelled Naruto as Lee helped him push the shadow user over the box's railing.

"SHOW THEM THE BURNING PASSION OF YOUR YOUTH!" yelled Lee as Shikamaru fell towards the ground.

WHAM! Temari winced slightly as Shikamaru hit the ground hard. 'Naruto, Lee you two are dead!' Shikamaru thought as he tried to come up with a way of getting back at the two powerhouses but was interrupted by the yelling of the crowd.

"Hey, hurry up and fight!" roared the crowd. "Yeah! Hurry up and finish this crappy match!" Shikamaru could only stare at the crowd as they yelled, looking mildly annoyed. "Get up kid! How long are you going to lay there?" demanded some audience members.

'Sigh, everyone was excited by Sasuke and Neji's match and is waiting for Naruto and that Gaara kid's match. They're probably angry because after that awesome fight they have to see this pathetic match between two sideshow acts. Since nobody cares about this fight, there isn't really any point to doing it,' thought Shikamaru.

"What, are you going to give up?" asked Temari with a sneer. Shikamaru's eyes focused on her even though he didn't get up a bit from lying on his back.

'Aw man, it's another girl?' Shikamaru groaned inside his head.

Up in the stands, Asuma sighed as his thoughts turned glum. 'Well, it's not like he was motivated to begin with,' he thought.

"Good luck Shikamaru!" yelled Naruto, Ino, and Chouji.

"If you won't come, then I will!" yelled Temari as she charged towards Shikamaru, ignoring Genma's yell that he hadn't started the match yet.

"Oh man, that girl is really revved up!" muttered Shikamaru as he pulled two kunai from his holster. Temari swung her closed fan over her head like a club and brought it down on the shadow user's head. A huge dust cloud obscured the impact zone and everyone waited for it to clear. Shikamaru's friends were afraid they would see Shikamaru's head looking like a crushed watermelon, while Kankuro was hoping his sister had beaten the lazy bum quickly. Everyone stared as the smoke cleared to reveal Shikamaru standing on his kunai, which had been driven into the arena wall, with his hands in his pockets. "Ya know, I don't really want to fight, and I don't care whether I become a Chunnin or not, but I'm not going to lose to a girl!"

Shikamaru suddenly felt several angry glares focused on him. In the stands, Tenten, Ino, Akemi, and Hinata were all fingering their kunai. Sakura and Haku were glaring from the combatant's box, and Aki was glaring at him through the TV in Neji's recovery room. All the guys near the kunoichi edged away frantically, not wanting to set the annoyed girls off.

'Shikamaru no baka, you've just set yourself up for a very painful experience,' thought Naruto as he stared at the suddenly sweating shadow user. The feeling of dread became even greater as he saw Temari smirk before she flipped her fan open and swung it around behind her to send a huge gust of wind at him. Shikamaru barely managed to hide behind one of the nearby trees and avoid the blast.

'Hah, he's great at running away!' Temari thought, confident she had this match won.

'Damn you dad for pounding the idea a man doesn't hit a woman into my head!' Shikamaru moaned to himself.

"Bust her up Shikamaru! Get her with a 16 hit combo!" roared Ino.

(0o0o0)

'Sigh, man those clouds are lucky, so free. More to the point, I didn't feel like doing this to begin with,' thought Shikamaru. 'I only became a ninja because I thought life would be more interesting as one.' Shikamaru's gaze then swept over the stadium and focused on the hole formed by Sasuke's final jutsu. 'But then, no one ever said life was easy or fair.'

'What's he doing with that stupid look on his face?' wondered Temari. 'Is he making fun of me?' "Ninpou: Kamaitachi (Ninja Arts: Slashing Wind)!" yelled Temari as she swung her fan. A huge gust of wind filled the stadium and battered Shikamaru.

"That's the attack she used on Akamaru and me to knock us out!' thought Kiba as he grabbed Akemi and Akamaru.

As the dust cleared, Temari peered in the haze to see if she had gotten Shikamaru. When a shadow shot out of the cloud and towards Temari, the sand kunoichi back flipped rapidly to avoid it. Temari kept avoiding the shadow until it stopped moving then shrank backwards. 'It's beginning to shrink!' Indeed, Shikamaru's shadow had stopped advancing and was much narrower than it had been to start. Temari used her fan to make a slash in the ground just beyond the shadow's reach and said, "I've seen through your Kagemane no Jutsu! There's a limit to how much you can stretch, shrink, and change the shape of your shadow! No matter how much you change the shape of your shadow, you still can't stretch it any further than the surface area of your normal shadow, right?"

"Ha ha, that's right," said Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

In Neji's recovery room the Hyuuga genius stared at the monitor with a puzzled look on his face. "There's no way Shikamaru's shadow could stretch that far! What did he do?" asked the boy.

Aki sighed and said, "Simple, Shikamaru used the shadow of the stadium to extend the reach of his own shadow. I can do the same thing with my shadow arm."

"But now Shikamaru is at a disadvantage. Temari's fan allows her to perform long range attacks while she stays outside of Shikamaru's range!" exclaimed Neji.

"My cousin isn't out of the fight just yet, watch!" said Aki as she pointed to the screen, which showed Shikamaru kneeling down and placing his thumbs and index fingers together to form a circle.

(0o0o0)

Up in the stands, Kurenai turned to Asuma and asked, "What's that seal?"

"That's no seal," replied the chain smoker with a grin. "It's a habit of his. He knows how to slowly take his time, he actually enjoys it like one of those old geezers. That's why he likes playing Shougi and Go. I've been playing against him a lot recently and when he's backed into a corner he always does that. It's a sign that he's working on a strategy. As a result, I haven't won a game against him, not even once."

(0o0o0)

'I hope this works,' thought Shikamaru as he used his Hitai-ate as a mirror to track Temari's position. The shadow user had a tree in between his opponent and himself, but that couldn't protect him forever.

"How long are you going to keep running away for? Give up already!" demanded Temari as she swung her fan again. Another huge dust cloud sprung up, obscuring Shikamaru's hiding place. Suddenly, a kunai shot out of the cloud towards Temari. The fan user ducked and used her open fan to deflect the kunai. Temari's eyes widened as she saw Shikamaru's shadow shooting across the ground towards her again. 'Why is he trying that when I'm outside his reach?' Temari asked herself before realization kicked in and she leapt back from the line. "Clever, stalling for time to allow the shadows of the wall and yourself to grow larger," she said.

(0o0o0)

"How the heck does Shikamaru use his shadow in the arena's shadow?" asked Neji as Aki came back from getting them each a soda.

"Wow, for a genius, you sure ask a lot of questions," replied Aki with a smile as she handed Neji his drink. "As long as there is light, there will be a shadow even within a shadow."

"Ah, just like a normal shadow can pass through another stationary shadow, right?" asked Neji.

"Kind of, but lets just say it works and not worry about how, okay?" asked the shadow user with a cute pout on her face. Neji chuckled and sipped his soda, hoping that the dim lighting hid the slight blush on his cheeks.

(0o0o0)

"Temari, above you!" yelled Kankuro, breaking the tense silence that had gripped the arena.

"Huh?" Temari looked up at her brother's yell and then down as her sixth sense for danger started screaming. She watched as a small black circle appeared and started growing larger and larger before Shikamaru's shadow latched on to it. A thin bit of Shikamaru's shadow shot out of the rapidly growing circle and towards Temari, who rapidly leapt backwards and to the side to avoid it. The shadow lunged after her.

"You won't escape!" yelled Shikamaru as he held his hands in the rat seal.

'Damn, he made a parachute from his jacket, Hitai-ate, and a kunai, and used it to get a shadow in the middle of the arena floor quickly.' But since neither the parachute nor the arena wall's shadow changed Temari knew that Shikamaru could only manipulate his own shadow. Temari quickly evaded the shadow's grasp and leapt far enough away that Shikamaru's shadow was forced to disengage from the parachute's shadow before it hit the ground. 'If I keep this up his shadow keep growing and so will its reach!' thought the fan user. Temari quickly flipped open her fan and placed it between Shikamaru and herself. 'I'll just send a Bunshin out to distract him, then use a full power Kamaitachi to take him out!' Temari checked the position of Shikamaru's shadow before ducking behind the fan and starting to gather chakra for the Bunshin no jutsu, only to feel her body freeze. 'No, how did he get me?' she yelled inside her head.

"Heh, finally, Kagemane no Jutsu, success!" said Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

Naruto grinned and yelled, "Way to go Shikamaru, she walked right into your trap!"

Lee, Shino, Haku, and Sakura all looked at Naruto in confusion, while Sasuke was muttering something about leeching off his hard work.

"Look, it's really quite simple. See the hole from Sasuke's last attack?" asked Naruto patiently. Down below, Shikamaru turned his head so Temari could see his shadow sticking out of the hole behind her. "No matter how strong Sasuke is, he can't pull magma from the center of the earth in such a short time. Heck, even I can't do it, I think the only ones who could do it would be my mom, dad, Jiraiya-ojiisan, Tsunade-Obaasan, and Sarutobi-Ojiisan. What Sasuke did was he sent a large amount of fire into the ground and caused it to break out under Neji. That left a tunnel under ground that has a nice long shadow. I've only seen him do it once, but Shikamaru can split his shadow. He sent one out to distract Temari while the other went into the hole and waited for the right moment," explained the fox boy.

"That lazy idiot, do you know how much chakra it took to make that jutsu work? Most of the chakra went into keeping the fire going under ground and not showing so Neji was caught unaware. And here he goes using all my hard work without even a thank you!" exclaimed Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

Temari was forced to walk away from her fan and towards Shikamaru as he approached her. Ino and Naruto cheered for Shikamaru to finish the match. Shikamaru and Temari both raised their arms and all the attention of the arena was focused on them. "That's it, I give up!" said Shikamaru.

"Wha…?" asked Temari.

"I've used the Kagemane no jutsu so much that I'm almost out of chakra. At best I only have enough to hold you for ten more seconds. I'd thought up about 200 more moves, but it looks like I'm out of time," explained Shikamaru. "I'm getting tired of this, one match is enough for me."

'Huh, lazy weirdo,' thought Genma before he yelled, "Winner, Temari!"

(0o0o0)

"You lazy bum, how could you give up?" roared Ino as Shikamaru joined her and Chouji in the audience.

"Troublesome woman, I was out of chakra and she had enough to blast me into the wall. I'd prefer to avoid a concussion and miss the rest of the fights, okay?" muttered Shikamaru.

"Oi, Shikamaru, good job!" yelled Naruto as he skidded to a stop beside the team. "You're definitely going to be one of my advisors when I become Hokage!"

Shikamaru scowled and replied, "Naruto, don't be so troublesome! Just watch out in your match, that Gaara kid is most likely the only one here that can match you."

"I know, but I have some surprises ready for him!" said Naruto with a grin before he ran back to participants' box.

(0o0o0)

"And now the next match, Kankuro and Rock Lee!" yelled Genma. "Come down!"

"YOSH! Now everyone will get to see Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast in action!" yelled Lee as he easily leapt to the arena floor, the impact from his landing making a meter wide crater around him. Kankuro's face paled as he took in Lee's body. As a puppeteer, he was well versed in locating hidden things on a person's body since he had to hide traps on his puppets all the time, and he could see that Lee had weights not only on his legs as before, but also on his arms.

'There's no way Karasu can stand up to one of his punches or kicks, I'd be dead in a second! This match doesn't matter, all that matters is getting the Uchiha to fight Gaara. I'm more worried about revealing the gimmick that was planted in Karasu before the plan begins. There's no way that I'm going to do that,' thought the puppeteer. "I forfeit!" yelled Kankuro.

Boos sprang up from the crowd, annoyed the boy had come and wasted their time just to forfeit before the match. Lee scowled up at Kankuro and said, "You sir are a coward! You do not deserve to be a shinobi. A true shinobi fights even in the face of overwhelming odds!"

"Coward," muttered Shino before he flipped over the railing and landed in front of Lee. "Referee, according to the rules you gave us before Sasuke and Neji's match, I must now face Lee-san, correct?"

Genma nodded and yelled, "Next match. Rock Lee vs Aburame Shino! Hajime!"

As Lee charged forward, Shino released a swarm of his Kikai (Destruction) Bugs that hovered around him. Lee sent a flurry of punches at Shino which were all blocked, before a kick caught the Aburame heir off guard. Shino skidded backwards, using his bugs to slow him down quickly. Shino quickly pulled out a scroll and opened it before biting his finger to smear his blood along the inside of the scroll. "Hijutsu: Kabashira (mosquito swarm) no jutsu!" said Shino as he flicked the scroll to roll it up and caught it in a tiger seal. A brief cloud of smoke obscured Shino before dissipating to reveal a swarm of mosquitoes, each one as big as Akamaru. Haku shuddered slightly, she could handle normal bugs but big ones like that were definitely youkai and creeped her out. Haku had barely been able to save Akemi from a giant mantis before they had been taken in by Zabuza and both girls had disliked huge bugs ever since that time.

"Impressive Shino-san, but simple bugs can't harm Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast!" roared Lee before he charged forward and leapt into the air. "Konoha Senpuu (Leaf Spinning Wind)!" yelled Lee as he kicked the first mosquito, causing it to turn into a puff of smoke as it disappeared. However, the other mosquitoes took advantage of Lee's movements and attacked from all sides. Lee was stung several times and lost a good amount of blood before he landed on the ground fist first. A large number of stones were tossed up into the air from the impact and Lee grinned before yelling, "Dosekiryuu (Avalanche of Earth and Stones)!" as he rapidly kicked the stones towards the dive bombing mosquitoes. All the bugs disappeared in puffs of smoke and Lee leapt back to his feet before assuming his typical stance with one hand raised in front of him.

"Most impressive," said Shino before he rapidly made several hand seals and said, "Kikai suteinga (Bug stinger) no jutsu!" Shino's right arm was suddenly replaced by a nasty looking spike that made Lee gulp slightly as bad memories of his fist shot came to mind. Lee shook off his fear and charged Shino. Shino's new stinger shot towards Lee's head, only for the spandex wearing genin to duck down and avoid it before punching Shino's stomach. Shino folded over the blow before exploding into a swarm of Kikai bugs, revealing he was a Kikai Bunshin (Bug Clone). Lee leapt backwards to get out of the swarm, right into Shino's trap as the sunglasses wearing boy dropped down on Lee stinger first. Lee wasn't quick enough this time to avoid the blow and Shino's stinger pierced his arm. Before Shino could pull the stinger out, Lee did a weird flip in mid air that drove both his feet into Shino's face and sent them both crashing into the arena walls. Both tumbled to the ground, though Shino managed to land on his feet. "Give up, I injected my bugs into you and you've already lost most of your blood to my summons."

"I will never give up, not while the flame of youth burns within me!" roared Lee as he staggered to his feet. Lee could feel his chakra slowly draining away and knew he had to end this quickly. 'Sorry Gai-sensei, but I can think of only one way to defeat him before I'm knocked out!' Lee quickly unwrapped the bandages on his arms and concentrated as he formed the ram seal. "Shino-san, you are a worthy opponent and I am honored that the Lotus's blooming could occur during this match," said Lee.

(0o0o0)

Kakashi and Rin saw the slightly worried look on Gai's face as Lee formed his seal and rightly deduced that something was up, and with Lee's statement Kakashi figured it out. "Gai, you taught him that?" yelled Kakashi, coming as close to angry as anyone had ever seen aside from the time Baby Naruto used his Icha Icha Paradise as a coloring book.

"It's exactly what you think. Lee has no skill in Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, I was barely able to teach him the Water Walking and Tree Climbing exercises so he could perform Bunshin to pass the Academy Exam (AN: I'm assuming Gai helped Lee pass the Academy Exam somehow). Lee has the ability to open the Eight Celestial Gates."

(0o0o0)

'Initial Gate, open! Heal Gate, open!' roared Lee inside his head before an aura of green chakra appeared around him. Shino's eyes behind his sunglasses widened and he took on a defensive stance. Lee smirked and suddenly disappeared. Shino had only a moment to feel surprised before Lee's foot hit his chin and he shot into the air. Lee leapt up and kicked Shino again and again, propelling him higher and higher into the air before he appeared behind him in the Kage Buyou (Leaf Shadow Dance). Lee's bandages wrapped around Shino and the bug user was unable to escape as they plunged towards the ground. "Sekandarii Renge (Secondary Lotus)!" yelled Lee as they crashed into the ground. Lee leapt clear of the impact zone at the last second, but the force of the impact caused a huge crater to form and exposed part of the tunnel carved by Sasuke's final jutsu. Lee panted and smiled as Shino managed to move to his hands and knees.

"Lee-san, you are truly one of the strongest fighters here. It has been an honor," said Shino. All the rookies gasped as Shino's sunglasses cracked and fell off his face to reveal brilliant green compound eyes like those of an insect.

"The same is true for you Shino-san, your skills are most formidable," said Lee as he made his nice guy pose. Shino and Lee stared at each other for a second before they both fell forward onto their faces.

"This round is a draw!" announced Genma. The crowd roared in appreciation of a good fight. "There will be a thirty minute recess while the arena floor is leveled to provide an even field for the next match." Murmurs raced through the crowd as medical ninja ran out to get Lee and Shino on stretchers.

"Come on, I want to congratulate them!" said Naruto as he grabbed Haku and Sasuke and pulled them out the door as Sakura followed. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara stayed in the box, though the other two kept their distance from the sand user.

(0o0o0)

Up in the stands, Gai was crying a river as he sobbed, "Lee's fire of youthful passion is so great he would even risk that move to avoid losing!"

Rin sighed and said, "Gai, think for a minute. Lee risked his life to perform a move that could very well cripple him. I highly doubt that he'll be promoted to Chunnin with that attitude. He was extremely lucky that Shino hadn't made another Kikai Bunshin to fool him."

"Then there's the fact that my genius beat your genius and your other student got a draw," said Kakashi as he glanced up from his book.

"Oh, my eternal rival Kakashi! Your hip insult proves that you are my eternal rival! The score is now 55 to 54 in your favor! I challenge you to a race, whoever can get to the infirmary first wins!" exclaimed Gai.

"Did you say something?" asked Kakashi without looking up from his book this time.

'Kakashi! You're so cool! You casually insult me!' roared Gai inside his head as flames appeared in his eyes. However, before Gai could act on his fire of youth, a foxtail grabbed him by the neck and dragged him in front of Kyuubi while a second tail smacked Kakashi's book out of his hands. A quick burst of foxfire and the book was gone while Gai had to face an enraged Kyuubi. Everyone hastily vacated the area except for Rin and Kakashi as Ken walked up.

Kyuubi's eyes were solid red and her tails twitched as she stared into Gai's eyes. "Gai, how could you teach him such a dangerous move?" she growled. Gai gulped and started to reply before Kyuubi cut him off. "I know how dangerous that move is and you're damn lucky I didn't realize you were teaching it to Lee earlier! I'm going to go check on him now and if I have to tell that brave boy that his life as a shinobi is over then I am personally going to have you cleaning bedpans at the hospital for a year for teaching the technique that ended his career!" With that, Kyuubi dragged Gai off in her tails with Ken, Kakashi, and Rin following.

(0o0o0)

Neji's room now had two occupants, with Shino resting alongside the Hyuuga Genius. Akemi, Kiba, Tenten, and Hinata all came down to visit their team mates and friends. Naruto, Sasuke, Haku, and Sakura all entered the room to find Aki and Neji sharing Neji's bed to watch the monitor better while Aki had a blush on her cheeks from Akemi's teasing. Shino had regained consciousness thanks to Hinata and realized belatedly that everyone could see his compound eyes. The Aburame boy had always hidden his eyes because they were so odd. Not even his team mates knew what they looked like before this.

When Naruto heard Shino's reasons, he shook his head and sighed. "Shino, I have fox ears and tails, Hinata and Neji don't have visible pupils, and Chouji is pleasantly plump but we all still get along with each other. You have no reason to hide your eyes from us. They're cool looking and I bet those girls at the Academy would have loved them!" said the fox boy.

"And after seeing what fan girls did to Sasuke you think I would want them?" asked Shino.

"Trust me, you wouldn't!" muttered Sasuke as he edged away from Sakura, who was trying to reduce the distance between them as much as possible.

Haku suddenly appeared clinging to Sasuke's arm and said, "Sasuke-kun, let's go get some sodas for everyone, ok?" Sasuke nodded and the two proceeded out the door as Sakura's heart once again crumbled.

"Give it up Forehead Girl, even I can see we've lost," said Ino as she entered the room with Shikamaru and Chouji.

"About time one of you got a clue, Sasuke always ignored you in the Academy, why should he start liking you now?" asked Naruto.

Hinata sighed and lightly smacked her boyfriend to keep him from tasting his foot any more as she said, "Haku-chan and Sasuke-kun both lost their families and found new ones so they're able to understand each other very well. I'm afraid they're a definite couple Sakura."

Any further conversation was interrupted by Kyuubi wheeling in Lee on a wheelchair with Gai still clutched in her tails. Two of Kyuubi's tails easily lifted Lee up and placed him on the bed next to Neji. "Everyone, I need you to all listen to what I have to say to Lee." Once Kyuubi saw she had everyone's attention she continued, "There are numerous bone fragments lodged within vital parts of Lee's neural network. You're currently in no condition to operate as a ninja. Normally this couldn't be corrected, except by Tsunade in a long and risky procedure, but I happen to know a method that will make such an operation much easier and safer, though I want Tsunade here to observe the operation." Kyuubi summoned a fox in a cloud of smoke and everyone got a good look at a pretty white female kitsune. "Ashibayai (Swift Footed) you are my fastest messenger. I need you to take this scroll," here Kyuubi passed the kitsune a sealed scroll, "And deliver it to Tsunade. It describes the procedure I wish to perform on Lee so we can operate on him with less danger." Ashibayai gave a bark of agreement before she dashed out of the room. Kyuubi then turned to Lee and said, "Lee, I need you to rest for two days to let your body repair the damage done to it. After that we can start the treatment that will prepare you for the operation, which will take a few weeks. By then Tsunade will be here and we can both operate on you. In the mean time, I want all of you to keep an eye on Lee, make sure he gets his rest and doesn't overexert himself." All the Genin nodded. "Good, now get out there and finish this round of the tournament!" exclaimed the fox woman. Gishou decided to stay with Hinata, knowing that the Hyuuga girl would give him some treats if he acted as her lap warmer.

(0o0o0)

"Welcome back everyone, we're ready to start the next match between Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Haku!" exclaimed Genma. Sakura walked into the center of the arena while Haku appeared in a swirl of leaves. There were some murmurs from the crowd at Haku's appearance since her dragon ears, wings, and tail showed she was a hanyou. Kyuubi immediately appeared in the center of the arena.

"Anyone who has an objection to hanyou participating in this exam can take it up with my husband after the tournament is over!" she growled. The threat hidden behind her words was clear to everyone and not one more peep was heard as Kyuubi disappeared and reappeared beside her husband in a flare of blue fox fire.

"Fighters ready?" asked Genma. Both girls nodded, the sun flashing off the Hitai-ate that rested proudly on their foreheads. "Hajime!" yelled Genma before leaping far away from the two girls, there was no way he wanted to end up in the middle of what could become a catfight.

"Hmm, I see you trained hard during this last month, show me what you've got!" exclaimed Haku as she seemed to disappear and reappear in Sakura's face. The pink haired girl reacted quicker than Haku expected and tried to sweep Haku off her feet. Haku leapt over the leg sweep and suddenly found Sakura's fist heading right for her chest. Haku went flying and hit the ground hard but managed to roll with the impact and regain her footing easily. "Hyou Ryuu Buresa (Ice Dragon Breath)!" yelled Haku as she formed the dragon seal and took a deep breath before sending a huge cloud of freezing cold air at Sakura. Sakura rolled to the side to avoid Haku's attack and threw a kunai into the cloud, hoping to take advantage of the attack as a smoke screen. Unfortunately, the kunai froze in midair and dropped to the ground encased in a chunk of ice. Sakura scowled and pulled a whip out of her supply pouch and cracked it in midair a few times. Haku stared at Sakura for a moment before chuckling as she said, "Sorry Sakura-chan, but I don't swing that way!"

Sakura's face turned red and the whip snapped towards Haku as the pink haired girl yelled, "Muchi no Honoo (Whip of Flame)!" Flames suddenly covered the whip and dispelled the rest of Haku's icy clouds. Haku's eyes were wide with shock and she barely managed to leap out of the whip's range.

Haku rapidly formed hand seals and yelled "Korri no Tate (Shield of Ice)!" before ice formed two small shields on her arms. The dragon girl expertly blocked Sakura's next few whip strikes before back flipping for more room. Haku formed hand seals as she flipped quickly slammed her hands down onto the ground with a yell of "Suiton: Hyou Kanketsusen (Water Style: Ice Geyser)!" The whole arena started shaking, causing many people to panic while Sakura lost her balance. Cracks started appearing beneath Sakura and she barely managed to leap clear before a giant geyser shot up into the air where she had been standing before freezing into a pillar of ice.

(0o0o0)

"How did she do that? There's no way she could create that much water in this heat!" exclaimed the Kazekage.

"Haku has been busy this whole month creating a reservoir deep beneath the arena," said Ken with Naruto's familiar smirk. "She's strong enough that she can pull the water up easily and freeze it."

"Such a clever girl, I wonder how much water she has left in storage?" asked Kyuubi.

"Knowing Haku-chan, it's enough to flood the arena floor and leave Sakura extremely vulnerable to her bloodline jutsu," replied the Yondaime Hokage. The Kazekage stared at the girl in shock, amazed at how much power she commanded.

(0o0o0)

Sakura rapidly moved through some hand seals before she seemed to melt away from Haku's gaze. 'Now where did she go?' thought Haku. With a second thought, water rapidly rose up through the arena floor and rose to just about the top of the soles of the standard ninja sandals. Haku watched the water carefully for a sign of where Sakura was, a slight ripple was all she would need to pinpoint where the pink haired girl's location.

Unfortunately for Haku, Sakura made her move first. Haku found herself trapped within the grasp of a tree. "Kishibari no Jutsu (Tree Bind Technique) success!" said Sakura as she leaned out of the tree and placed a kunai at Haku's neck. "Give up or I'll slit your throat!" said Sakura. To the pink haired girl's surprise, Haku simply grinned.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, but you lose!" said Haku with a grin before her right hand flashed through a series of one handed seals, which surprised Sakura so much she couldn't react in time to stop Haku before the dragon girl stomped her feet on the ground and yelled, "HiJutsu, Sensatsu Suishou (Secret Skill, Flying Water Needles)!" All the water in the arena rapidly rose up and formed senbon that shot towards the two girls. The senbon tore through both girls, causing the audience to gasp in horror until Haku turned into water and a cloud of smoke obscured Sakura for a minute before clearing to reveal a log.

'Kawarimi and Mizu Bunshin without seals, they're good,' thought Genma.

Sakura reappeared with her back to the arena wall, not wanting Haku to get a shot at her back. As the pink haired girl looked around for Haku, a cracking sound caught her attention. Everyone looked at the giant ice pillar to see the top explode in a cloud of ice crystals to reveal a grinning Haku.

(0o0o0)

"Clever, she left a Mizu Bunshin to do her fighting while she hid in the water underneath the ice pillar," said Kakashi.

"Yes, Haku-chan just used an extended version of her ice mirrors to pass through the ice," replied Rin.

"It's a good thing Jiraiya-sama doesn't have Haku's bloodline, can you imagine what it would be like if he could just form an ice mirror and gather his data tha… urk!" Kakashi's statement was cut off by Rin slamming the hilt of her bokken into his gut and knocking the wind out of him.

(0o0o0)

Sakura was sweating heavily; her chakra reserves were larger than before but no where near Haku's level. Haku leapt down to the ground and prepared to finish Sakura off. 'I'll have to risk everything on her,' thought Sakura before she made a familiar series of hand seals. 'Inner Sakura Bunshin!' Inner Sakura appeared beside the original Sakura and caught her host as she slumped down.

"Finally, I get a chance to play!" said Inner Sakura. Haku simply raised one hand and gestured for Inner Sakura to come at her.

Inner Sakura charged Haku with a scream of rage, while the dragon girl quickly made a series of hand seals before slamming her hand down on the ground and yelled, "Suiton: Hyouryuudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Ice Dragon Blast Skill)!" Once again the arena shook before a second geyser erupted from the ground, only this one curved in mid air to shoot towards Inner Sakura. The rushing water became a dragon and then froze solid just before impacting with Inner Sakura. The clone went flying and crashed into the real Sakura, who could only stare in shock as her double crashed into her and they were both slammed into the arena wall by the dragon. Inner Sakura disappeared with a puff of smoke back into Sakura's head and the ice froze around the pink haired girl, pinning and freezing her to the wall.

Genma approached Sakura, who was rapidly turning blue from the ice, and asked, "Do you give up?"

Sakura struggled for a second but was unable to break the ice and barely managed to speak around her chattering teeth. "Hai!"

"Winner, Uzumaki Haku!" exclaimed Genma. Immediately, Naruto jumped down and ran to free Sakura from the ice with a wave of fox fire while medic nin rushed to keep the girl from going into hypothermic shock. Sakura soon joined Lee, Neji, Shino, and Aki in the recovery room and gratefully sipped from a large mug of hot chocolate.

(0o0o0)

"Will Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Desert) please come down for his match against Uzumaki Naruto?" asked Genma to the crowd's roar of approval. Like Neji and Sasuke's match, this was a highly anticipated event. Both boys were the sons of their village's Kage and the fight promised to be one for the history books. Gaara appeared opposite Naruto in a swirl of sand.

(0o0o0)

"Do you think Naruto can beat him?" Akemi asked Kiba.

"One thing you still haven't learned about Naruto is not to underestimate him. He may seem stupid sometimes, but you'll pay if you underestimate him," said Kiba. Though he sounded confident, inside the dog boy was extremely nervous. His team had almost been caught by Gaara in the Forest of Death and the experience had been a shock for all three of them. Even the normally collected Shino had been shivering with fear for a moment after the Sand trio disappeared. 'Kick his ass Naruto, we're all cheering for you!' thought Kiba.

(0o0o0)

"You have something to say?" asked Gaara as Naruto glared at him.

Naruto raised his fist and pointed it at Gaara. "I told you before, you're definitely going down!" exclaimed Naruto with a scowl on his face.

"Ready, begin!" yelled Genma before leaping clear. He had no desire to be in between the two boys if he could help it.

Gaara's sand immediately shot out of his gourd and towards Naruto. The kitsune boy leapt backwards, landing far enough away that he would have ample time to avoid any of Gaara's sand attacks. Gaara suddenly raised his hand to his head and muttered, "Don't get so angry mother. I fed you some tasty blood earlier, I'm sorry, but this time it will be delicious! A juicy hanyou just for you…"

(0o0o0)

"Finally, 'Conversation' has begun, this is bad," said Kankuro as he stared at Gaara.

"I've never seen Gaara like this before a fight, is this hanyou really such a strong opponent?" asked Temari.

Both siblings sighed in relief as Gaara clutched his head before calming down and glaring at Naruto.

(0o0o0)

"You're disgusting!" spat Naruto as he drew Nenshousaiga. Blue flame sprang up around the sword blade, which would hopefully allow Naruto to slice right through Gaara's sand. "Here I come," exclaimed Naruto before swinging Nenshousaiga with a yell of "Kaen-giri!" to send a crescent of blue fire towards Gaara, only to see it stopped by the red head's sand. The wall of sand that blocked the attack turned into a sand clone of Gaara that shot towards Naruto. Naruto charged towards the clone, preparing to ram right through it and attack Gaara.

Sudden bulges in the clone's arm were all the warning Naruto had before Gaara said, "Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)!" and shuriken made of sand shot out of the clone towards Naruto, only to be deflected by Nenshousaiga's blade. Naruto shifted the blade so all of his momentum was behind it and blasted right through the sand clone, which had a startled look on its rough face before it reformed and attacked Naruto from behind.

"Ranran Kitsune Senpuu (Flaming fox Whirlwind)!" yelled Naruto as Nenshousaiga's blade was covered in flame once again and he spun almost as fast as Neji or Hinata did during a Kaiten. The spin grabbed the blue flames from Nenshousaiga and swept them up into a flaming pillar around Naruto that engulfed the sand clone. When the flame faded, the clone was a statue of glass. Gaara's eyes widened as he felt his connection with the sand caught in the flames disappear. "Heh, nice statue, I'll use it for Taijutsu practice after we're done!" exclaimed Naruto before slashing at Gaara. Unfortunately the sand blocked the blow and tore Nenshousaiga from Naruto's grip. The sword flew through the air as the sand tossed it away and imbedded itself in the arena wall high enough that Naruto would be hard pressed to run up the wall and grab it without leaving himself vulnerable to attack from below.

Naruto shrugged and charged Gaara to deliver a blazing punch to the Sand user's head, only to see Gaara's Suna no Tate (Shield of Sand) block the blow before the sand morphed into a giant spike that almost impaled Naruto. Naruto smirked and in a flash of golden light disappeared. Murmurs of "Shunshin no jutsu!" swept through the stands as smiles pride appeared on Kyuubi and Ken's faces. Naruto reappeared behind Gaara in another flash of light, causing the sand user's eyes to widen as he turned to see Naruto. Naruto roared, "Kasei Tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" and brought his flaming flaws down in a blow that knocked Gaara over. "Come on you bastard, I haven't even begun to repay the pain you put Hinata-chan through!" snarled Naruto. It was evident that Naruto's kitsune blood was acting up again, barely held back by his Hitai-ate.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto-kun's speed is as fast as mine, possibly faster!" exclaimed Lee as he stared at the TV screen in the hospital room.

"Impressive, I know his father is the Yellow Flash, but to see Naruto perform his signature technique after just a month of training is surprising," said Shino.

"That's why Naruto will most likely advance after this exam. The three of us, Gaara, and Sasuke are likely the only ones who could have fought Naruto to a draw and I'm sure Naruto will beat Gaara to avenge Hinata," said the Hyuuga prodigy.

Aki smiled and cooed, "Aww, is Neji-kun jealous he doesn't get to fight Naruto-kun?"

Neji's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as Lee and surprisingly Shino started chuckling at him. Before Neji could say anything, Lee yelled, "Look at that!"

(0o0o0)

Naruto had spent the last few minutes using Shunshin to appear in various places around the arena and keep Gaara on the defensive with fake attacks. 'Time to get serious!' thought Naruto before yelling out his signature technique, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and four clones appeared. Four of the five Narutos charged Gaara and were almost immediately destroyed by the sand. However, this was just a diversion so the real Naruto could make his move. Naruto appeared in a flash of light right next to Gaara with a yell of "Ranran Furasshu Ashige (Flaming flash kick)!" before his foot slammed into Gaara's face and sent the sand Genin flying. "Heh, is that all you've got?" asked Naruto with a smirk. Gaara didn't reply and simply stood up. The Sand Genin had barely regained his feet before Naruto disappeared in a flash and reappeared to slug him in the face. Gaara stumbled backwards just before the ground beneath him, and incidentally the only place the sand wasn't prepared to block an attack from, exploded as Naruto yelled, "U!" Three clones burst up from the ground in the explosion and yelled, "ZU! MA! KI!" as they kicked Gaara into the air. The real Naruto crouched down before leaping up to just beneath Gaara as fox fire flared around his fists. Naruto delivered three blazing uppercuts to the Sand genin before flipping over him and driving his heel into Gaara's stomach. "Naruto Ranran Rendan Revised (Uzumaki Naruto Flaming Combo Revised)!" yelled Naruto. The two Genin plunged towards the ground, causing everyone in the audience to gasp as they thought Naruto had won. Just before the two could hit the ground, Gaara's gourd exploded into sand that cushioned him and tossed Naruto away from Gaara. Naruto rolled as he landed to avoid taking any additional damage, but the stress of using Shunshin so much was starting to get to him. Gaara fell to his knees gasping and the cracks covering him showed Naruto had damaged his sand armor. The sand user slowly rose to his feet and formed the tiger seal while glaring at Naruto. Gaara's sand rose around him, rapidly forming a sphere to protect him. Naruto charged the barrier, knowing he had to get Gaara now before he had time to recover.

(0o0o0)

'Gaara isn't… not that jutsu!' thought Kankuro in a panic as his younger brother was enveloped by the sand.

(0o0o0)

Naruto's fist shot towards the small gap that left Gaara's left eye vulnerable as he aimed to break through the sand. Blood splattered behind Naruto as his eyes widened. The sand sphere had sprouted spikes everywhere and managed to cut his cheek. Naruto leapt backwards, giving himself plenty of room. 'All that sand is packed pretty tightly, making it so hard it's an absolute defense. Good thing he can't see… me?' Naruto's thoughts were brought to a crashing halt when an eye ball formed from the sphere and rose into the air. 'What the heck? I guess that screws the part about him not being able to see me,' thought Naruto as the eye tracked every move he made.

(0o0o0)

'There's no doubt about it, it's _that_ jutsu. This is bad, Gaara's forgotten the plan entirely,' Temari yelled inside her head. "Damn Gaara," she whispered.

(0o0o0)

Naruto charged the sand sphere and leapt into the air with a cry of, "Kasei Tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" as he brought his flaming claws down on the sphere. The attack barely scratched the sand, though there was some damage it wasn't enough to matter. 'Heh, he's stalling, which is good, since I don't want to reveal my true skill this early,' thought Naruto as he backed away from the sphere before creating a Kage Bunshin beside him. Both Naruto and his clone started gathering chakra in their palms.

(0o0o0)

"Damn it Gaara, you won't be able to see the signal," muttered Baki as he stared at the sphere enclosing his student. The Sand Jounin was extremely nervous and kept glancing at the Kazekage as if to ask if everything was okay.

(0o0o0)

In the combatants' box, Temari and Kankuro were also nervous.

"Damn, once he's like this there's nothing to be done," growled Kankuro while he wondered if the two of them should run.

"Does Gaara want to mess up the plan?" whispered Temari.

At the other side of the box, Haku's dragon ears twitched slightly. Designed to allow her to hear clearly underwater, they had no trouble picking up Temari's whisper. 'What plan are they talking about?' she wondered before cautiously passing Sasuke a soldier pill and taking one for herself.

(0o0o0)

Everyone in the audience suddenly heard the sound of a miniature tornado coming from Naruto and when they looked towards him they saw a blue sphere of chakra spinning in between the fox boy and his clone. Naruto raised his head to smirk at Gaara's sand shield before charging towards it as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

(0o0o0)

In the hospital recovery room, the genin were all gazing at Naruto in wonder. "What's that?" asked Aki.

"That's the Rasengan, Hokage-sama's signature technique besides the Shunshin," replied Neji with a smirk. 'Naruto, you have definitely grown stronger, I can't wait to fight you in the next Chunnin Exam!'

"To learn and master Shunshin and Rasengan in one month, Naruto is truly a genius of hard work!" cheered Lee.

"Yes, and he just keeps on getting stronger," said the Aburame heir softly.

(0o0o0)

Inside the sphere of sand, the darkness was the only witness to the mutterings of Gaara.

"Yeah, I'm going to rip those tails off, then I'll crack open his head so his brain comes out, followed by tons of blood gushing out for you to enjoy. I'm always a good boy. Yes, let's do it, mother. I'll be watching," muttered the sand nin.

(0o0o0)

Naruto charged the sand sphere with a yell of "Rasengan!" The chakra orb in his hand kicked up a huge dust cloud around him. As Naruto neared the Sand sphere, spikes began forming to stab him once again. The blue sphere slammed into the sand and after a second the sand gave up the fight and the Rasengan broke through. Temari, Kankuro, and Baki could barely believe their eyes.

(0o0o0)

"How did he avoid the spikes?" demanded Sakura.

"The same way I deal with obstacles when I'm using my Meat Tank," answered Chouji. "That little sphere packs a huge punch so it blasted right through the spikes like I do to enemy attacks when I'm spinning."

"Very good Chouji, you're smarter than you let on," said Kakashi with a grin.

(0o0o0)

"I got you now," said Naruto with a smirk before Gaara's voice reached his ears.

"What's this warm stuff? Mother what did …..?" Gaara fell silent for a moment and then he screamed. "Uwaaaaa! Blood, my blood!"

(0o0o0)

"It, it can't be," exclaimed Temari.

(0o0o0)

Naruto gasped as the sand sphere started to close around his arm. He strained to pull the arm lose and failed. 'Flames surrounded Naruto's free fist as he drove it into the sphere with a yell of, "Kasei Tsume!" The sand cracked and Naruto was able to pull his arm out, only to find it in the grip of a giant claw. Naruto kicked the claw hard enough for it to let go and backed off, wondering what this new development was. A hole started to open in the sphere and Naruto gasped as he saw something. Genma flinched slightly as his danger sense started going off. The sand sphere melted away to reveal Gaara clutching his wounded left shoulder.

(0o0o0)

Throughout the crowd, people's attention shifted from the fight to the large feathers that suddenly appeared in front of them. Sasuke's Sharingan flared as he suddenly felt sleepy and saw Haku yawning. Sakura felt a tingling that meant someone was performing a Genjutsu on her. Hinata's Byakugan, already active to help her watch the match, caught the field of chakra signaling the giant Genjutsu placed on the stadium. Throughout the stadium Jounin echoed Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke as they formed the tiger seal with pointer and index finger pointing up as they yelled, "Kai (Release)!"

(0o0o0)

Up in the Hokage box, Sarutobi and the Kazekage turned to look each other in the face. "Shall we?" asked the Kazekage as his two body guards moved into action and tackled Ken and Kyuubi out of the box as they dropped a smoke bomb. The bomb went off and caused everyone's attention to focus on the box. Naruto looked horrified until he saw his parents fighting the Kazekage's body guards in mid air. Kyuubi had shed her kimono to reveal a Konoha Jounin uniform, only the undershirt and pants were a vivid red while the vest was a bright orange, while her normally loose hair was swept into a long ponytail. Ken had on his flame edged cloak that he wore over his own Jounin uniform, the cloak acting as a mask to his movements as he kicked his attacker into the arena floor. Kyuubi's tails wrapped around her attacker and subdued him, allowing Kyuubi to slam the big man into the ground head first. Two ANBU suddenly appeared and slashed both of the body guards in half. At the same time, several loud explosions occurred outside the village walls as large snakes broke through the barrier. Six more ANBU, one of them in the white coat of the ANBU captain, appeared in front of Ken.

"Li Team, help Sarutobi! Ro Team below, protect the ministers!" exclaimed Ken. Four ANBU leapt towards the smoke cloud while four more leapt to protect the ministers. Before anyone could reach the smoke cloud, the Kazekage leapt out holding a kunai to Sarutobi's neck while the four pieces of his body guards suddenly became empty robes as four blurs leapt up towards the Kages, easily overtaking the ANBU and passing them.

"Pursue them!" shouted the ANBU captain with Ken. The four blurs landed on the edges of the roof above the Kage box, with the two Kages in the center of the rectangle formed by them.

As the ANBU leapt into the air, the Kazekage said, "Do it!"

The four all yelled, "Hai!" before slamming their forming hand seals and yelling, "Shishienjin (Four Man Purple Flame Array)!" A rectangle of purple flame sprung up around the six people on the roof. One of the black cloaked ANBU leapt towards the barrier, hoping to break through, only to be engulfed in purple flames.

"So, a barrier eh?" muttered the ANBU captain as his team landed beside him after dousing the burned ANBU and one member took him to the hospital. The ANBU tensed, ready to move the minute the barrier dropped.

(0o0o0)

Down in the arena, ninja bearing Sound Hitai-ate appeared next to a single ANBU. Kakashi, Rin, and Gai surveyed the arena, taking in the number of shinobi who were definitely foes. "Damn, nine traitors," said Gai.

"Hai, this doesn't look like it will be easy," replied Kakashi as he slipped his book into his pouch.

"Come on, we can take them!" said Rin as she brought her bokken to a guard position. Other Konoha Jounin gathered around the three comrades, ready to fight to the death to defend their home.

(0o0o0)

As Kankuro, Temari, and Baki landed behind Gaara, Sarutobi growled, "For the Sand to betray the Leaf?" in disbelief, not the least bit scared of the kunai held to his throat by his attacker.

"An alliance is only useful as camouflage to make the enemy relax his guard. The stupid fighting games end here, from here on history changes," replied the Kazekage.

"You want to start a war?" demanded Sarutobi.

"Exactly," said the Kazekage.

"We should avoid solving things through force, and work out our differences through negotiation. Kazekage-dono, there is still time to stop this madness!" exclaimed Sarutobi.

"Heh, do we become peace loving fools when we age, Sarutobi-sensei!" demanded the Kazekage.

"Orochimaru!" hissed the Sandaime Hokage.

(0o0o0)

Genma faced off against Baki while Kankuro and Temari stood to Gaara's side. Naruto warily eyed the four Sand shinobi from behind Genma, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Gaara, the plan," Baki started to say, only to be cut off by the sight of Gaara falling to his knees and clutching his head.

"I knew it!" gasped Temari.

"What's wrong?" demanded Kankuro.

"Fool, trying to transform into your complete form before the signal!" exclaimed the Sand Jounin.

"He's experiencing the side effects, it's impossible to proceed now!" gasped Temari as she knelt by her brother's side.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Do it without Gaara?" demanded Kankuro.

Baki glanced at his charges before saying, "Abort the mission, you guys take Gaara and retreat! I'll join the battle!" The Sand trio took off.

"Is the leader of this party Orochimaru?" asked Genma.

"Who knows? Let's just join the fun!" replied Baki.

"Oi, Toothpick breath! What about me?" yelled Naruto.

"Sorry Gaki, but the Chunnin Exam is now over. You go finish your fight with Gaara! You're already at the Chunnin level. If you're a Konoha shinobi then make yourself useful!" replied the referee.

"Go ahead Naruto, I need you to get Gaara back here so I can fix the seal on him!" exclaimed Kyuubi.

"Hai!" exclaimed Naruto before racing towards and up the wall Nenshousaiga was stuck in. Naruto grabbed the sword while running and sheathed it as he leapt over the wall. The sunlight briefly shone off the blade, catching Hinata's attention.

'Naruto-kun!' Hinata thought, before her eyes widened and she spun around to kick an attacking Sound shinobi away while Kakashi drove a kunai into the head of the second one attacking her.

"Hinata, stay down for a second while we even the odds!" said Kakashi as Rin and Gai leapt back to back with him and the three proceeded to single out their targets.

(0o0o0)

"Genma, Kyuubi, go and help the others defend our citizens! I'll handle this one!" said Ken.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening," said a voice as a dark hole appeared between Ken, Kyuubi, and Genma's position and Baki's.

Kyuubi scowled and said, "Ankoku (Darkness), I would have thought you had learned by now that you will never take my place!"

Up from the hole rose a man clothed all in black with nine black fox tails behind him and long greasy black hair. "Why Kyuubi, you should know me better!"

"Who's this?" asked Ken.

"This is Ankoku; I defeated him to claim my position as head of the Kitsune clan. He tried to assassinate me and I drove him from our lands in the summons world with his evil sons," replied the vixen. "A few centuries later he attacked with an army of oni and I defeated and sealed him beneath a mountain."

"Yes, and imagine my surprise when I learned that Kyuubi-_hime_," and there was no respect in Ankoku's voice when he said the title, "Had mated with a disgusting human and had a half breed whelp!"

"So Orochimaru offered to free you in exchange for your help against Konoha, you jumped at the chance," guessed Ken.

"But it wasn't Orochimaru who freed me," said Ankoku with a huge smirk.

"It was me!" said a voice behind the dark kitsune before a black haired woman stepped out from behind him. She was dressed in a dark version of the classic miko robe and Ken's eyes narrowed as he saw her.

"Tsubaki, I saw you die! Emi (Blessed with Beauty) killed you when she drove her sword through your wicked heart!" growled Ken.

"Emi, you mean that nice miko girl you told me about who was your team mate under Jiraiya?" asked Kyuubi.

Ken nodded as he said, "Yep, her family always had holy powers and she were trained ninja to allow them to destroy youkai better. Emi however only purified evil youkai and made many friends among the peaceful species."

"Shame she isn't here, I owe her for what she did to me!" said Tsubaki as one of Ankoku's tails wrapped around her.

"Well then, I'll have to destroy you for her!" exclaimed Ken.

"Not so fast little man, your fight is with me!" exclaimed Ankoku before he blurred and punched Ken into the stadium wall. Kyuubi moved to help her mate but was stopped when a ghostly serpent shot out of Tsubaki's sleeve and almost bit her.

"Sorry bitch, but you're going to be my new fur coat!" said the dark miko.

(0o0o0)

"Crap, this is bad!" exclaimed Sasuke as he surveyed the confrontation below him. The Uchiha boy quickly looked around for Haku only to find her gone. 'Damn, where did she go?' Sasuke quickly flipped up into the stands and found himself facing the back of a Sound shinobi straining to force Rin's bokken away with a kunai. With a smirk Sasuke kicked the Sound shinobi in the groin, making him instantly drop his guard and allowing Rin to slice him in half.

"Thanks Sasuke, but Kakashi needs you now!" exclaimed Rin. Sasuke nodded and dashed up to where Kakashi and Hinata were.

"Ah, Sasuke, you made it. Hinata, cancel the Genjutsu on Shikamaru, then take Gishou and track down Naruto," said the Copy Nin.

Gishou poked his head out of Hinata's jacket. "Why not one of your dogs?" asked the kitsune.

"Because they're going to be very busy soon!" said Kakashi with a grin.

Hinata rolled her eyes at Kakashi's antics and crawled towards Shikamaru with Sasuke following and keeping an eye out for enemies. When the two genin and one kitsune reached Shikamaru, Hinata started to form the seal before blinking and scowling. "Shikamaru, you can't fool me, I can see your chakra flow is different than someone affected by the Genjutsu," said the girl.

Shikamaru sat up with a scowl as he said, "I didn't want to get attacked, can you blame me?"

"Come on, we have to go after Naruto!" said Sasuke as he prepared to move out.

"Sasuke-kun, behind you!" screamed Hinata as a Sound nin dashed towards the raven haired boy. Sasuke spun around with a round house kick only to see the enemy ninja get slammed into and through the arena wall by Gai.

Kakashi appeared among the three genin and said, "I'll restate your mission. This is an A-rank mission, go through that hole once I'm done! Chase after Naruto and help him bring those three in!"

"Hai!" exclaimed Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou before they leapt out the hole. Shikamaru followed with a sigh of "Troublesome!"

**And that's where I'll leave you. I'm sorry I didn't update much this summer, getting a job took up a lot of my time and when I finally found one my hours kept changing and my creativity was drained. My updates will be few and far between since I'm back in college, sorry for the disappointment.**


	15. Tail 14: Battle for Konoha

**Roar of the Dragon: **

_Review Responses: Due to a new rule at I can no longer respond to reviews. If you are like me and dislike this idea, send me your username and e-mail address so I can place it on a petition going around to get this rule revoked. Please help!_

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

"Damn, Naruto is really moving!" exclaimed Sasuke. Not even Hinata's Byakugan could pick up the hanyou boy and the only clue they had to his path was Gishou's nose.

The kitsune suddenly caught a new scent and yelled, "This way!" before swerving to the right of the group's present path. As the group followed the kitsune, Hinata's Byakugan caught sight of nine figures following them, none of them Konoha shinobi.

"Incoming enemies at 6 'o clock! I count nine of them, all Sound shinobi!" said Hinata.

"Already? This isn't good," said Shikamaru.

"Yes, they don't seem to know where we are, but they're on the look out for surprise attacks," replied Hinata as she kept half her attention on jumping from tree to tree and the other half focused on their pursuers.

"Shit, its times like this that I wish I was a five tail!" growled Gishou.

"Yeah, they're most likely beyond Chunnin level, if they catch us we'll be annihilated!" muttered Shikamaru.

"If we can ambush them then we have a good chance of beating them, even if they outnumber us two to one, if we surprise them," Sasuke began to say as he reached for the explosive notes in his supply pouch.

"No good, they're subordinates of Orochimaru, a Konoha Nuke-nin," interrupted Gishou.

"Damn, I thought we might have been able to pull it off but I guess not," groaned the shadow user.

"Right, they've been trained for this mission so they most likely know the terrain well. We'll be hard pressed to catch them by surprise, but with my Byakugan and Gishou's nose we can avoid them!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Right, plus we also have a kitsune, the heirs to two of Konoha's most powerful clans, and the best guy at running away, me!" said Shikamaru.

"So what do we do?" asked Sasuke.

"We need to create a diversion that looks as if we're going to ambush them. One of us will have to remain behind and delay them. Gishou is out; we need him to track Naruto. Hinata, you're a medic Nin, Naruto will most likely need your help so you can't stay. So either Sasuke or I have to stay behind…" replied the Nara boy.

"In other words, a decoy," said Sasuke.

"That's right. If they're stalled they won't be able to locate the remaining three, if we do this we'll be able to lose the trackers. But the one who stays behind will probably…" Shikamaru's voice trailed off and all three Genin exchanged glances.

"Ill stay," said Sasuke. "Naruto is my brother and if I can help him by holding the enemy back then I'll gladly go down fighting!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to do it!" said Shikamaru as he grabbed the next branch, swung around it, and landed facing back the way the group had come. Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou paused on the next tree and looked back at the shadow user. "Besides, if you think about the guy that can fulfill the decoy job successfully and be the most likely to survive then I'm the only one in this bunch who can do it, because the Kagemane no jutsu was originally a jutsu used as a delaying tactic." Not turning around the shadow user said, "Well, I'll catch up with you guys later, so hurry up and go!"

"Shikamaru, you had better not die or I'm going to come down to hell and drag you back up here so I can kill you for dying on us!" said Sasuke.

"Thanks Sasuke, you and Naruto are two guys I know I can depend on to do that!" said Shikamaru.

"This might help!" said Hinata as she rapidly made hand seals before slamming her hands into the tree trunk with a yell of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke sprung up and was quickly dispersed as Hinotama flapped his wings.

"What can I do for you Hinata-chan?" asked the phoenix.

"Stay here and help Shikamaru fight off our pursuers!" said the white eyed girl.

"Hai!" said the bird before gliding over to land on Shikamaru's shoulder as Hinata, Sasuke, and Gishou resumed their chase after Naruto. "So what's the plan?" asked Hinotama.

A short time later, the Sound ninja entered the clearing and found the tracks of two humans and a fox. "Heh, amateurs, they're on their home turn and overconfident," said the leader of the group as he knelt and examined the tracks. As he started to stand up and lead his men in finishing off the fleeing group, the man froze, as did his comrades.

"Sheesh, you think you guys would have noticed that there aren't three foot prints there yet," said Shikamaru as he dropped his Henge of a tree after catching all of the enemy in his Kagemane no jutsu.

"Would you look at that, he's just a kid. To think we'd be caught by the likes of him! Pretty good though, to get all of us at once," said one of the Sound Nin.

"Yes, this is the famous Kageshibari (Shadow binding) no jutsu, huh?" asked the leader.

"That's how it used to be said a long time ago. The times have changed and now it's called the Kagemane no jutsu," replied Shikamaru. On the outside, he appeared calm, but inside was a different matter. 'Just as I thought, this was a mistake. I used up to much chakra. I won't last that long now,' he thought. Shikamaru swept his eyes over all eight of his opponents, who were all standing, as he reached for his weapons. 'Shit, the ninth one! He's supposed to follow behind and protect these guys from ambushes!' Shikamaru raised his hands, one holding four kunai and the other holding four shuriken. 'Where ever he is, it'll become clear with this!' Shikamaru hurled a weapon at each of his targets, only to see them deflected by small curved shuriken. 'So that's where you are bastard!' thought Shikamaru. With a thought, a tendril of shadow shot towards a nearby tree. 'Damn, I'm almost out of chakra!' thought the Nara boy.

"Heheh, this so called Kagemane will be released soon, best be prepared!" sneered the leader of the squad. True to his words, Shikamaru's shadow shrank back to its normal shape and left all the Sound Nin free to attack. "Why don't you come out now? And while you're at it, lop off his head for him?" asked the leader. But before anyone could make a move, Shikamaru dropped the flash bomb he had hidden in the inside of his arm. The flash of light blinded the sound Nin, including the one in hiding.

"You've obviously never played Shogi, the idea is to let your opponent see an obvious trap and when he avoids it, spring another on him!" said Shikamaru with a smirk.

A cry of "Nepuu (Hot Wind)!" filled the clearing as a twister of fire shot down from the sky and hit the tree the remaining Sound nin was hiding in. The Sound Nin leapt out of the tree to escape, only to be hit by a green and black blur. The Sound Nin split into two halves in a shower of blood and the blur landed behind Shikamaru, resolving into the chain smoking Jounin Asuma.

"Heh, I finally caught up to you," muttered Asuma as he took a long drag on his ever present cigarette.

"Asuma-sensei, why?" Shikamaru's question would be left unanswered because Asuma blurred and suddenly seven of the Sound Nin in the clearing were collapsing to the ground while the last one was reduced to ashes by Hinotama with another Nepuu attack. The phoenix landed beside Shikamaru as the boy collapsed to the ground from relief.

"You did good Shikamaru, but for now you're done," said Asuma.

(0o0o0)

When Ibiki first saw the giant snakes attacking the walls of Konoha, he was prepared to give up his life to kill them to save his beloved village. However the minute the snakes broke through the walls, large clouds of smoke appeared in each large public area of the village. The smoke clouds dispersed to reveal several large seven tailed kitsune in battle armor with a Konoha Hitai-ate proudly resting beneath their ears. "By order of Kyuubi-hime, we will defend this village to our death!" roared the tallest of the kitsune. The foxes were soon engaging the snakes in a battle that laid waste to the streets around them. Unfortunately, more snakes appeared, as well as several giant scorpions and the kitsune were forced to abandon their teams to face each summons one on one. Now the snakes and scorpions had an advantage and were able to concentrate on a single foe and bring their poison fangs and stingers into play.

With a yell of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" a large frog with two giant swords strapped to its back landed on the back of one of the snakes. Ibiki and his fellow shinobi stared at the giant frog as a figure on its back faced away from the. "Long time no see Ibiki, as usual you're making a mess of things here," said the white haired man.

"Jiraiya-sama," said Ibiki.

"Well, I can't exactly blame you, these snakes would give anyone but these foxes a hard time," said Jiraiya as he stared at the kitsune who had started fighting with renewed vigor upon seeing Jiraiya arrive. Ibiki leapt up beside the Toad Sennin, watching as the toad drew one of his swords and slashed a snake in half. "Where is Sarutobi-sensei?" asked Jiraiya.

"He's at the test arena with Ken-sama and Kyuubi-sama," replied Ibiki.

"I see," muttered Jiraiya as he took in the purple flame barrier rising from the roof above the Hokage box. 'Don't you go dying on me Old Man, Brat, or Vixen,' the super pervert thought before turning his attention to the attacking summons.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi warily circled Tsubaki, keeping her eye on the ghostly snake spirit that was nestled around the dark miko's shoulders. "You're a Shikigami user, aren't you?" asked Kyuubi.

Tsubaki chuckled and said, "Indeed, and after I plunge this into your heart you'll be my newest pet!" as she held up a wickedly curved dagger that sent a shiver of fear through Kyuubi.

'The Rei Kyoujin (Soul Assassin's Dagger)! How did a mortal get her hands on that? It's supposed to be locked away in the deepest vaults of our clan!' "How did you get that dagger?" demanded the fox queen.

"My darling Ankoku got it for me after I released him," replied Tsubaki.

'Figures, he was always good at getting into things he wasn't supposed to,' thought Kyuubi before she spun to avoid a strike from the snake Shikigami followed by a swipe of the Rei Kyoujin before leaping back to gain some room. In mid air Kyuubi pulled a scroll from her Jounin vest and cut the seal on it with a claw before biting her thumb so she could swipe blood along the scroll. Instantly a katana appeared in a cloud of smoke. Kyuubi grasped the blade and expertly ran through a brief sword kata to test her reflexes. "Let's dance bitch!" said the fox woman before she unleashing her attack. "Homura Dama (Burning Soul)!" Blue flame swirled into being around Kyuubi's sword and the fox woman grinned. Her weapon had the advantage of reach over Tsubaki's dagger and the fox fire would definitely kill the snake Shikigami.

Tsubaki's eyes narrowed at the sight of the flaming sword and her free hand reached into her robes. Kyuubi dashed forward, not wanting the dark miko to have a chance to get ready. Unfortunately, Tsubaki was able to withdraw a chain of obsidian prayer beads before Kyuubi reached her. Normally prayer beads radiated a peaceful aura but these reeked of evil to Kyuubi's nose. "Spirits of hell, hear my cries, arise and fight by my side!"

Kyuubi didn't like the sound of that and shifted her sword to be parallel to the ground with a yell of "Gatotsu (Fang Thrust)!" as she aimed for Tsubaki's black heart. However, the katana was blocked by a massive iron club. Another club came smashing down at Kyuubi's back and she barely managed to roll aside to avoid the blow. Leaping back, Kyuubi found herself facing two Oni. Both ogres were taller than Kyuubi and dressed only in a tiger skin loin cloth that Kyuubi had no desire to see under. One was red and the other blue, signs of standard Oni. "Oh come on, I used to eat guys like this for breakfast!" exclaimed Kyuubi with a smirk. The two Oni charged forward with clubs raised, intent on crushing the fox woman. The red one attacked first, bringing his club down on Kyuubi, or rather where she had been. The kitsune woman had already leapt into the air and plummeted down with a yell of "Enokorogusa Tsuchi (Fox Tail Hammer)!" as her tails crashed into his head followed by her sword blade slicing his head in half. However, the blue Oni was faster than she expected and was above her as she landed. The Oni grinned, thinking he had one, only to see Kyuubi grin before yelling, "Gatotsu Zeroshiki (Fang Thrust, zero stance)!" before thrusting her blade into the Oni's belly with enough force to tear his upper body off and send it flying away in flames. "Idiots, I've had more of a challenge from humans," snorted Kyuubi as she shook her sword to clean off any remaining Oni guts. Looking up, Kyuubi was annoyed to see Tsubaki escaping on the back of a giant crow youkai. The kitsune woman sheathed her katana and leapt after her opponent.

(0o0o0)

'Damn, he hits hard,' thought Ken as he pulled himself out of the crater caused by his impact with the stadium wall. 'I don't have enough room to summon Gamabunta if he changes to his true form, so I had better get to where I can!' With a last glimpse of his wife as she summoned her katana, Ken dashed out of the arena with Ankoku hot on his trail. The evil kitsune was toying with Ken, sending balls of black flame at the Hokage to amuse himself. 'Okay, so far I've seen he's strong, fast, and uses dark fox fire. I have my jutsu, home turf advantage, and a giant toad with a pipe and huge ass sword.' Ken finally led Ankoku to the place where he would have enough room to summon Gamabunta, a large plateau behind the Hokage monument facing towards the Wind Country. "Well, let's get this started!" said Ken as he pulled some of his custom kunai from his supply pouch. Unlike normal kunai, these had three points on the end with the middle one being larger than normal and a small scroll wrapped around the handle. Ken usually placed a special jutsu on the scroll that allowed him to sense when one of the kunai was thrown so he could find his team mates when they got separated, but now he was bringing out his special ones. These were the kunai meant for battle and not to be left where Naruto could find them until he was at least a Chunnin, possibly Jounin.

"Very well, I make sure to bring your head to your mate before I kill her if Tsubaki fails to do so," replied Ankoku as he unsheathed a katana that made Ken's blood run cold. The blade was solid black and looked as if it was sucking in all of the life from the air around it. The dark kitsune charged Ken and brought the katana down to slice the Yondaime Hokage in half. Ken parried with his kunai, using the three points to trap the katana from each side.

"Huhhh!" grunted Ken as he twisted both kunai in opposite directions in an effort to force the dark blade past its breaking point. However the black sword proved tougher than any other blade Ken had ever encountered. 'Damn, I guess this won't be so easy,' thought the Hokage as he kicked Ankoku in the chest and used his body as a platform to jump back to give himself some more room.

Ankoku stumbled back a bit from the kick before recovering and an aura of dark fire surrounded his fist. With a cry of "Ennetsujigoku (Flames of Hell)!" he punched the ground to send a wave of dark flame at Ken. The Hokage disappeared in a flash to avoid the attack, circling around behind his opponent to stab him in the back. Ken left one of his kunai buried in Ankoku's back as the kitsune's tails snapped up in an attempt to grab him.

'Three, two, one… NOW!' thought Ken before the scroll on the kunai sent a huge surge of electricity through Ankoku. The dark kitsune froze for a second and that's when Ken made his move. Rapidly making hand seals, Ken brought his hands to his mouth in the tiger seal and yelled, "Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Blast)!" as he breathed out a dragon of fire that roared towards Ankoku.

The dark kitsune shook off his paralysis in time to counter the attack with a yell of, "Herufaia no Tate (Shield of Hellfire)!" As a wall of dark flame sprang up around him that the fire dragon did its best to over come, only to die out. "Pathetic, you humans are such foolish creatures. There's no way you can possibly defeat me!"

"We'll see about that, now see why I'm called the Yellow Flash!" Ken disappeared in another flash of golden light then Ankoku felt a blow to his back. The dark kitsune spun around to attack, only to see a flash and feel a kick to his side followed by his arm as Ken kicked the dark sword out of his hands. The next few seconds were a blur of pain for Ankoku, not even his demonic eyes could keep up with the barrage of blows Ken was landing on him with the Shunshin no Jutsu. Finally Ken appeared underneath Ankoku and kicked the kitsune into the air before forming a Rasengan and leaping up to meet the kitsune as he started his descent. Ankoku moved at the last second and the Rasengan tore off his arm instead of shredding his heart. Ken spun in mid air and the Rasengan shredded five of the black kitsune's tails. Ankoku screamed in pain and crashed into the ground and had a second to feel immense pain before Ken landed on his back with a cry of, "Furasshu Rasengan Rendan!" Ankoku coughed up a large amount of blood before one of his four remaining tails grabbed the Hokage and tossed him a good distance away.

"You're better than I expected ningen (human)," gasped the kitsune, "But now I'm getting serious!" Dark flames blossomed around the kitsune and Ken was forced back from the heat. Out of the flames stepped a vision from a nightmare. Ankoku was in his true form of a giant black fox. The fox inhaled deeply and sent a rain of fire down towards the Hokage with a yell of "Shounetsujigoku (Burning Hell/inferno)!"

Ken dashed away from the attack forming hand seals before slamming his hand on the ground with a yell of, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A large cloud of smoke enveloped Ken and Ankoku acted quickly.

"Herufaia Ryuudan (Hellfire Dragon Blast)!" roared the kitsune as he sent a giant dragon of dark fire at the smoke cloud in an attempt to destroy the summoned creature before it could aid the Hokage. A giant blur leapt out of the smoke cloud moments before the dragon hit it and Ankoku cursed as he saw Ken standing on top of the boss of the toads, Gamabunta. Ken's cloak fluttered in the breeze and he didn't look at all tired despite all the fighting they had done already on top of summoning the boss toad.

Gamabunta puffed on his pipe before asking, "Oi Gaki (brat), it's been a while! Finally found an opponent you need my help on?"

"Hai Boss! This punk tried to kill Kyuubi-chan a while ago and wants to help that snake loving bastard destroy Konoha!" exclaimed Ken.

"Hmph, you did a number on him before he reverted to his true self Gaki. Ankoku is a tough customer no matter what form he is in but you managed to slice off some of his tails," said the giant toad.

"Pathetic, looks like I'll be having frog legs for dinner," growled Ankoku.

Gamabunta scowled and drew his giant sword from his waistband. "And I think I'll have a pair of fox fur slippers and a new hat," replied the toad.

"Shounetsujigoku!" roared Ankoku before sending another rain of black fire from his mouth towards Gamabunta.

The toad boss grunted, "Hold on Gaki, we're out of here!" before leaping up with his powerful legs. The toad cleared Ankoku's attack and in mid air Gamabunta swelled up before spitting a barrage of giant water balls from his mouth towards Ankoku with a yell of "Suitaihou (Water Cannonball)!" Ken quickly hurled one of his electric kunai into the water balls, adding some more punch to the attack. The electrified balls of water slammed into Ankoku and stunned him. Gamabunta dropped down on the fox with his blade ready to cleave Ankoku in two, only to be smacked away by a flailing tail. The giant toad landed on his side and quickly righted himself in time to block a blow from Ankoku's flaming claws with his sword. The two great beasts strained against one another, neither one able to overpower the other.

Ken rapidly formed several hand seals before yelling, "Titan's Fist!" A giant fist shot out from underneath Ankoku, sending him sprawling backwards, before crumbling. "Boss, gimme some oil!" Gamabunta drew in his breath before spitting a stream of oil out of his mouth towards the fox. "Gamayo Emudan(Toad Oil Cannon)!" yelled Ken as he formed a basic fire jutsu and breathed flame onto the oil, which caught on fire and became a giant flamethrower as it shot towards Ankoku.

The dark kitsune roared, "Herufaia no Tate!" and a wall of dark fire blocked the stream of fire. The two clashed together for a few minutes before the flame barrier dropped. Unfortunately, Gamabunta had to stop spitting oil just after that and Ankoku barely got burned. The kitsune frantically rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames on his fur, leaving him vulnerable.

Gamabunta unleashed his signature Kenjutsu (Sword art) with a cry of "Gama no Tsurugi Kai (Toad's Blade Slash)!" as his powerful hind legs pushed him forward and he slashed upwards. The boss toad's sword sliced off one of Ankoku's ears as the fox moved out of the way of the blow and but left a huge cut on the fox's side. Before Gamabunta could recover, Ankoku's jaws closed down on his neck, barely missing Ken as the Hokage leapt off his summoned friend. Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke with a sad, "Sorry Gaki!" as Ken landed safely on the ground.

Ankoku was once again surrounded by dark fire and this time he reverted to his humanoid appearance, only he looked pretty beat up and was missing an ear. "You are better than you seem little man, but now our game comes to an end!" roared Ankoku before a burst of flame sprang up from his hand and formed his dark sword. Ken pulled out a kunai and the two darted towards one another. There was a clash as blade met kunai and then they were past one another. Ankoku grunted as his arm went numb and stopped moving, while Ken's face paled. The Hokage had barely been scratched by the dark sword, but he could feel his whole body growing cold as if ice was climbing up his legs. Looking down it wasn't ice he saw, but dark crystal. "Heh, give it up, you're caught in my blade's Kesshou Kyuu (Crystal Coffin)! You will soon fall asleep and then be unable to move!" laughed Ankoku as he stood up and turned towards the trapped Hokage. "The only thing that can free you is Kyuubi's fire, until then you will be like a statue and unaware of what is going on around you!"

The blond Hokage raised his hands and formed a Rasengan which he flattened in his hand so it looked like he was holding a glowing blue disk above his head. "Rasengan Senpuuken (Whirlwind blade)!" exclaimed Ken as he hurled the disk like a Frisbee at Ankoku. The dark kitsune brought his sword up to block, only to see it shattered as the blue disk cut through it and sliced off his head. Normally Ken wouldn't have been able to defeat the dark fox in such a way, but the sword had been bound to his spirit and the loss of its dark power with the loss of his tails earlier made Ankoku about as strong as a low level Jounin and easy prey for Ken's attack.

Ken smirked as he felt the crystal continue going up him as he stared at Ankoku's head. The eyes were blankly staring into the air in disbelief. "Well, at least I know you're dead!" said Ken before his eyes flicked over to a small orange toad that leapt out of the tree line. "Gama Kichi, you heard all that?" asked the Hokage. When Ken had summoned Gamabunta he had used some extra chakra to summon one of the boss toad's sons to observe the fight so if he was defeated the village would have some warning.

"Hai, I'll tell Ero-sennin. We'll have you free soon!" said the little toad with a smile.

Ken smiled and then felt the ice approaching his neck. "I just hope my muscles don't lock up like this forever," he said with a grin before the crystal's power overwhelmed him and he blacked out. Gama Kichi stared at the dark crystal statue in respect. Ken was standing tall and proud, his big grin and defiant gaze showing the undying love for Konoha that all who inherited the Will of Fire had. The little toad then disappeared in a puff of smoke to tell Jiraiya what had happened.

(0o0o0)

AN: First of all, KEN ISN'T DEAD! It's like the story of Sleeping Beauty, only the guy is asleep instead of the girl. Second, he used a lot of chakra to avoid all of Ankoku's attacks and summon both toads, so he wouldn't be able to break the crystal on his own. He got very lucky in this fight and will require a vacation after he is released from the crystal.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi suddenly felt a shudder pass through her soul as she chased after Tsubaki. 'Something has happened to Ken. Kami-sama keep him safe!' the kitsune woman thought as she sensed her mate was not dead but asleep. Kyuubi pushed her worry aside and focused on catching up to Tsubaki's giant crow mount. "Tenshi Renda (Natural Element Barrage)!" yelled Kyuubi as her tails all started glowing with a different color. As a nine tailed kitsune and head of the kitsune clan, Kyuubi had long ago mastered the four basic elements of fire, earth, water, and wind plus the secondary elements of lightning, metal, wood, and ice. Now she showed just what mastering those skills allowed her to do. Eight kanji symbols appeared around Kyuubi. Above her head was the symbol for her primary element fire. To her right was wind, to her left earth, and at her feet was water. Between fire and wind was lightning, between wind and water was ice, wood between water and earth, and metal between earth and fire. Each of the symbols started glowing before shooting a blast of their element at the giant crow. The attack struck the giant Shikigami and sent it crashing to the ground in a large clearing outside of Konoha as Tsubaki drifted down in the grip of a smaller hawk spirit. Kyuubi raced forward and cut off any escape Tsubaki had planned with a yell of "Mokudon Hijutsu Jukai Koudan (Wood Type; Tree-World Construction, Secret Skill)!" The trees around the clearing suddenly shot up in height as their branches grew together to form a large unbreakable wall of living wood around the clearing. "Now I can take care of you without anyone interfering," said Kyuubi with a smirk as she unsheathed her katana. With a cry of "Homura Dama!" the sword was once again surrounded by blue flames. Tsubaki scowled and started chanting in an evil sounding language. A giant crack formed in the ground and out of it rose a giant skeleton. The skeleton's head lifted to stare at Kyuubi and she shuddered as she realized she was facing a dracolich. The undead dragon's frightful presence enveloped Kyuubi and it was only by calling on her own power as the Queen of the Kitsune that she was able to match the frightful presence. 'Shit, I hate fighting Undead; they can take and give a blow as hard as me!' thought Kyuubi. The dracolich suddenly opened its mouth and sent a cone of cold air at Kyuubi. The kitsune woman countered with a giant fire ball that caused a huge steam cloud to form as the icy breath was boiled instantly by the fire. Kyuubi's ears twitched before she leapt into the air to avoid the dracolich's tail as it swung through the steam cloud. With a yell of "Tekenokorogusa Tsuchi (Iron Foxtail Hammer)!" Kyuubi brought her tails, which had hardened to the consistency of metal, and sword down on the undead dragon's tail to shatter it. However a shard of bone pierced through Kyuubi's shoulder and paralyzed her.

"Hohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho, now to make you my newest pet!" chuckled Tsubaki as she stepped forward and prepared to plunge the Rei Kyoujin into Kyuubi's chest. However just before the fatal blow could land, Kyuubi released a huge chakra wave that tossed the dark miko backwards.

"Damn paralysis, I hate that trick," muttered Kyuubi as she flexed her arms to get the blood flowing again. A tail picked up the kitsune woman's sword from where it had fallen from her hands and Kyuubi grinned as she stared at the dark miko and the dracolich. Kyuubi's eyes widened as she saw a ball of electricity forming in the dracolich's mouth. 'Crap I just had to get a blue dracolich!' The lightning shot towards Kyuubi with a crackle and the kitsune woman barely had time to form the seals for her jutsu. "Doton Doryuuheki (Earth Style, Earth Rising Wall)!" yelled Kyuubi before a stream of mud gushed out of her mouth and formed a large wall to block the attack. 'Let's see how they like this!' With a cry of "Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Blast)!" Kyuubi sent a dragon of fire towards the dracolich, and the undead monster screamed in pain as its decaying flesh melted. Tsubaki leapt backwards to avoid the flames and cursed as the dracolich succumbed to the flames with a last roar of agony. When the dark miko regained her wits, Kyuubi was already in her face. The kitsune's fist sent Tsubaki skidding backwards. "Now to finish you off and get back to my mate and kit," said Kyuubi as she raised her katana for the killing blow. Tsubaki suddenly raised her hand and a blast of dark energy slammed into Kyuubi and tossed her backwards. "So you can still repel youkai, you're the worst kind of dark miko, the kind who uses the powers of good for evil!" snarled the red haired woman.

"Hohohohohohohohohohoho, why should I care about where my power comes from as long as it works? I'll use anything I can to allow me to gain the immortal youth and beauty I deserve!" exclaimed the dark miko.

"And you think Orochimaru will give it to you? That snake cares only about himself and will stab you in the back when he doesn't have any more use for you. You and Ankoku are mere puppets to him," replied Kyuubi.

"What would you know about him bitch? Aren't you just playing with that yellow haired boy toy of yours as a passing romance?" snarled Tsubaki, her beautiful face contorted in an expression of rage. That was before Kyuubi's foot slammed into her stomach and the kitsune flipped the dark miko onto her chest and pinned her there with her feet.

"Number one, I love Ken with all my heart and have bound our souls together so that I'll live out a normal human lifespan with him and we'll both move on to our next life together. Number two, I'm a vixen, not a bitch!" growled Kyuubi. Tsubaki grunted with the pain Kyuubi was putting on her back before a dome of dark power tossed the kitsune woman away and she slammed into the tree wall. Before Kyuubi could recover, Tsubaki lunged forward to bury the Rei Kyoujin in her chest. Kyuubi yelled, "Rensha Tsume (Rapid Fire Claw)!" Kyuubi's sword exploded into a storm of blades that hit Tsubaki from all sides. Tsubaki gasped and fell backwards, but with her last breath hurled the dagger to pierce Kyuubi's heart and pin her to the tree wall.

"I was so close, eternal youth was almost mine!" wailed Tsubaki as her beauty faded away to reveal a wrinkled old woman. Tsubaki's spirit was soon back in hell where she belonged, leaving Kyuubi all alone in the clearing.

"Damn, at least since I split myself from Kyu I'll just fall into a deep sleep," gasped Kyuubi as she felt the world slipping away. Kyuubi let out a loud series of barks and yips and Kyoichi was at his mistress's side. "Kyoichi, watch over my family for me and keep the pack in line," muttered Kyuubi as her eyes started to close.

The last words Kyuubi heard were, "As you command Kyuubi-hime," before darkness claimed her. Kyoichi stared at his mistress for a moment before calling on the spirits of the trees and asking them to keep Kyuubi safe. The trees answered by wrapping branches around Kyuubi and the dagger, making sure that no one could find the Kitsune Queen unless they had the guidance of Kyoichi. The kitsune bowed his head to his mistress's hidden body before heading back to Konoha to inform Kyuubi's family about what had happened.

(0o0o0)

The sand siblings leapt from tree to tree towards Suna in an attempt to escape to safety. Kankuro had Gaara on his shoulder plus his puppet while Temari carried her fan on her back. The trio had made good time so far and was beginning to think they had lost any pursuit chasing after them when they looked ahead and saw Naruto burst out of a thick clump of leaves to block their way. "Damn it," muttered Temari.

"I don't know about you three, but I never like to leave a fight unfinished," said Naruto as he cracked his knuckles.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto has finally stopped moving, but there's still a good amount of distance between us," said Gishou.

"Great, he had better not die before we get there," said Sasuke.

"Naruto-kun is strong and he already hurt Gaara badly, he shouldn't have much of a problem against him and his siblings aren't that strong compared to Gaara," replied Hinata.

Gishou's nose twitched and he grinned. "He's got some back up, it's lover boy here's girlfriend!" exclaimed the kitsune as he glanced at Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

"Temari, you take Gaara and go ahead," said Kankuro as he placed his puppet beside himself in preparation for battle.

"Yeah, be careful," replied the blond as she shouldered Gaara and leapt away.

"Guess there's no helping it, I'll be your opponent!" stated Kankuro as he glared at Naruto.

"No, I'll be your opponent!" said a familiar voice to Naruto's left. Looking over, both Naruto and Kankuro were surprised to see Haku leaning against a tree trunk with a senbon in her mouth in a lazy pose.

"Haku-chan, how did you catch up with us so quickly?" asked Naruto.

"I've been tailing you guys for a while, I just stayed above the tree tops to keep an eye out for pursuers," said Haku with a lazy grin as she stood up straight and stretched, causing Kankuro's face to darken slightly under his make-up as he got a good look at her kunoichi outfit and how it accented her body in all the right places.

"You sure you can handle this guy and his dolls?" asked the kitsune boy as he glanced in the direction Temari and Gaara had gone.

"Yes I'm sure. I was trained by the Devil of the Mist, you know!" snorted Haku.

"Okay, but finish up with this idiot quick and come help me, I'll feel better knowing there's a medic Nin nearby," said Naruto before he leapt after Gaara and Temari.

"Hehehehehe, you guys have no idea," said Kankuro. "I don't think you've experienced true terror!"

"Try seeing your parents slaughtered before your eyes and then an angry mob out for your blood when you're only twelve years old," said Haku as she flicked senbon to rest between each of her fingers.

"Bah, wait 'til you defeat me and catch up with Gaara, then you'll experience true terror. But you'll have to defeat me first!" said Kankuro as he brought his hands up in front of his face as if in prayer while mentally attaching his chakra strings to his puppet with the 'Kugutsu no jutsu (Puppet Skill)!' With a twitch of Kankuro's hands, the bandages around the puppet unraveled to reveal the giant wooden body. Karasu seemed to leer at Haku and the dragon hanyou girl shuddered slightly as she decided that after the battle she would make Naruto burn the puppet if it survived the fight.

"I'm a proud Genin of Konoha, I won't go down easy!" said Haku.

"Humph, bring it on!" said Kankuro.

(0o0o0)

Temari kept her ears peeled for any sign of pursuit as she leapt through the trees with Gaara. She was so alert that when Gaara said, "Temari, put me down," she almost dropped her little brother. Landing on a wide branch, Temari worriedly looked at the red haired boy.

"Gaara, you're awake!" she gasped and would have moved to hug him if he hadn't collapsed to his knees with a grunt of pain and held his head. 'Shit, the demon inside him is about to awaken. I've got no idea when it will fully emerge and I can't stop it by myself…' Temari's thoughts were cut off when Gaara suddenly spun around to glare behind them.

"Temari, scram!" growled the red head. When the fan user wanted to protest Gaara backhanded her away with a yell of "Just get lost! Mind your own business!" Gaara's glare intensified as he stared at Naruto on a slightly higher branch back the way they had just come. Both boys stared at one another in a silent clash of wills. The mental battle was interrupted as Gaara fell to his knees clutching his head in pain.

"I don't know for sure what your village is planning, but I won't allow you to hurt my home!" yelled Naruto.

"Damn," muttered Temari as she leaned against the tree she had landed in after Gaara hit her. "If Naruto is here… did Kankuro fail?"

"Also," growled Naruto, "I want to see your true face that Oka-san mentioned." The fox boy thought back to how Kyuubi mentioned the sand tanuki Shukaku.

"You that is strong, has companions, ambition, are like me," muttered Gaara as he covered his left eye. "Once I kill you I will be the one to have destroyed all of that, only then can I survive. Only then can I feel alive!" Gaara suddenly stiffened and fell forward as veins seemed to spread through the right side of his body. Naruto and Temari stared as the right side of Gaara's body seemed to melt and become made of sand, while his right arm became the giant claw that had grabbed Naruto earlier and the right side of his face looked like a Tanuki's. Naruto shuddered as he felt a heavy bloodlust on the air from Gaara.

'Looks like the fight is just starting,' thought Naruto as he unsheathed Nenshousaiga.

(0o0o0)

Back at Haku and Kankuro's battle, Kankuro finally got tired of waiting for Haku to make the first move and sent Karasu flying towards her with a twitch of his hand. A slot on one of the puppet's arms popped open and a knife slid out, the ends glistening with the telltale sign of poison. Haku easily leapt onto the tree trunk above her and let the puppet bury it's dagger in the branch she had previously been standing on. Haku's eyes widened as the puppet's head swiveled to look at her and fired two kunai at her from its mouth. The two kunai buried themselves in Haku's head and chest and she froze for a second before falling to the ground as water. 'Mizu Bunshin?' thought Kankuro before movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he ducked in time to avoid a punch from Haku before leaping clear of the dragon girl to a safer branch. Haku spun and glared at the puppeteer. "I see you understand the weakness of a jutsu specialist!" growled the boy, since Haku had easily distracted him with the Bunshin and come in for close range once Karasu was unable to protect him. "But now I'll show you how jutsu is used in a real fight! I'll show you the terror of the Crow Technique!" As Kankuro spoke one of Karasu's arms popped up and shot a ball at Haku. The ball exploded against a shield of ice Haku raised and a cloud of gas surrounded the girl.

'Poison gas!' Haku yelled in her head as she leapt from the cloud and thanked her water dragon heritage that she had a larger lung capacity that humans and was able to hold her breath in the cloud. Haku landed on a branch above the cloud and couldn't find a sign of Kankuro. 'Damn, he used the time to prepare something,' she thought. Haku's sixth sense suddenly tingled and she spun around just in time to see Karasu spinning to slice her in half. Instead Haku exploded into water again, soaking the puppet. The water suddenly froze, rendering Karasu immobile.

'Damn, she's using the ice to jam the puppet's joints!" Kankuro swore inside his head. The words grew even more vulgar as the puppet user saw Haku beneath the puppet scanning for him and looking near his position. 'Damn, she must be able to hear me or something!' thought the boy before he disconnected the chakra strings binding his hand to the puppet.

'Shoot, I almost tracked the chakra strings to him by the displaced air!' Haku swore. A sudden pop above her had her leaping to a new branch as Karasu's head plunged towards her with a giant needle extended that dripped poison. "Suigeki (Water Hammer) no jutsu!" yelled Haku as the canteen on her hip burst open and a column of water shot out towards the head. The water shaped itself into a hammer and smacked the head hard, sending it needle first into the tree right in front of Haku's body. 'That was too close!' Now that I've got the guy, time to finish him!' thought Haku before forming the one handed seals Kankuro had seen before. "Hijutsu, Makyou HyouShou (Secret Skill, Demonic Ice Mirrors)!" yelled Haku as the mirrors suddenly rose up around Kankuro and one beside herself which she stepped into.

"Impossible, how did you find me?" demanded the puppet user.

"Simple, I can sense water, I just searched for the nearest source of warm water, your sweat!" replied Haku before she darted from Mirror to mirror covering Kankuro's body with Senbon. The puppet user collapsed to the ground unconscious and Haku dropped her mirrors before falling to her knees. 'Damn, the poison gas did affect me! I'll have to remove it before I can help you Naruto!' Haku sank to her knees and started using every bit of knowledge Rin had taught her about removing poison from herself.

(0o0o0)

Naruto stared at Gaara, most specifically his right eye. That was the same yellow eye he had seen in the depths of Gaara's sand sphere in the arena. Gaara suddenly crouched down and leapt towards Naruto much faster than the fox boy expected with the giant sand claw weighing him down. Naruto barely managed to leap away to avoid the blow that would have ripped his head off. 'Damn, he really is a monster!' Naruto thought as he peered around the tree he was hiding behind to keep an eye on his opponent after sheathing Nenshousaiga. Naruto ignored his opponent's taunts about being weak and not having a good reason to exist to center himself. 'Okay, the Rasengan I used last time was about half power to avoid killing him since I had no idea where he was in the sand sphere. This time I'm going all out!' thought Naruto as the Rasengan swirled to life in his hands. Naruto stood up and the ball of chakra in his hands kicked up a small wind storm around him. With a yell Naruto and Gaara leapt towards each other. Naruto's Rasengan tore through the giant sand claw and caused Gaara to scream in pain. As both boys landed, Gaara started laughing.

"I see, so that's the reason I'm so excited, this pain!" yelled Gaara.

'What the? Is he a masochist?' thought Naruto.

"Defeating a man strong enough to hurt me and utterly destroying him, that's what gives me an even greater sense of existence!" Just when Naruto thought things couldn't get any weirder, the bottom of Gaara's gourd morphed into a giant sand tail. Using the tail and his giant sand arm, Gaara sling-shotted himself towards Naruto and a much faster speed. Naruto was barely able to block the blow in time and was sent crashing into a tree.

'Shit, I can't keep a Rasengan going forever to counter these attacks and his speed is great enough that now I don't have time to form one as he comes towards me!' thought Naruto as he pulled himself from his new crater. Naruto gulped and realized with a gasp of pain that his left ankle was twisted and he couldn't move. Gaara lunged forward, roaring in delight as he prepared to rip Naruto's head off.

Just before Gaara reached the wounded Naruto, Sasuke appeared and kicked the Sand user into a tree. Hinata and Gishou landed by Naruto and the Hyuuga girl immediately started healing Naruto's leg. "About time you guys showed up, what happened to Haku?" asked Naruto.

"We saw her, she said to go on while she recovered," said Hinata.

"Oi, Naruto! Is that really Gaara?" asked Sasuke, not taking his red eyes off the monster in front of him.

"Yeah, that's him," said Naruto as he cautiously stood up with Hinata's help and found his leg was fixed. "Thanks Hinata-chan. Okay Gaara, now you're facing Team Seven and we never lose!" yelled the fox boy.

Gaara's answer to this was to transform his right arm to match the left one. Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto stood firm, even as fear made their legs shake a little. All of Gaara's upper body was now covered in blue veined sand. The sand user crossed his arms before whipping them out with a yell of "Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)!" as a swarm of sand covered shuriken shot towards Team Seven. Naruto and Sasuke leapt behind Hinata while Gishou jumped out of her coat.

"Hakke Shou Kaiten!" yelled Hinata as a wall of chakra blocked the projectiles before she spun around to send the sand covered weapons flying away. Once the shuriken were taken care of, Naruto leapt out from behind Hinata with a Rasengan spinning in his hand. The fox boy leapt towards Gaara, intending to ram the Rasengan into his chest.

"Mugen Sajin Daitoppa (Wind Type; Great Infinite Sandblast Breakthrough)!" roared the transformed Gaara as he spat out a veritable sand storm at Naruto that tossed the boy back into a tree and sent sand everywhere. As soon as the sand died down, Sasuke leapt into the air and hurled his Fuuma shuriken at Gaara.

"Tenka (Ignite)!" yelled Sasuke as the shuriken was engulfed in flames. The flaming shuriken sliced off one of Gaara's transformed arms, causing him to bellow in pain. However the arm quickly grew back as sand came out of the gourd to replace it.

A loud yell of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" marked Naruto's reappearance in the fight as he leapt towards Gaara with his clones. "Uzumaki Naruto Bunshin 'Bodii Gachan' (Uzumaki Naruto Clone Body Slam)!" yelled the group. Gaara's arm shot out and grabbed the front three clones, while the last one grabbed the real Naruto and hurled him towards Gaara. Gaara's free arm came up to block, only to have Naruto create more clones to take the blow and toss him over. A final clone appeared behind Gaara and acted as a platform as Naruto landed behind Gaara. "Kurae (Eat this)!" roared Naruto as he gripped a kunai in his hand. "Konoha's Most Ancient and Secret Supreme Taijutsu Technique!"

'He wouldn't!' thought Sasuke, Gishou, and Hinata.

"Sennen Goroshi (Thousand Years of Pain)!" roared Naruto as he jammed the kunai up Gaara's ass.

'He did,' sighed the present members of Team Seven. Gaara's head twisted around to glare at Naruto and the sand tail sent to orange clad boy soaring into the air.

The fox boy grinned and said, "Boom!" just before the explosive note wrapped around the kunai went off and Gaara vanished in a huge explosion. Sasuke leapt up and caught Naruto in mid air and carefully set him down before smacking him on the head. "Itai, what was that for?" demanded Naruto.

"You took one of your dad's special explosive notes you baka! What if that had gone off in the waiting box?" yelled Sasuke.

"Shut up," muttered Naruto as he turned towards the explosion.

"Did you get him?" asked Hinata.

"No, something that strong won't die from that," growled Naruto. Indeed, the smoke from the explosion cleared to reveal Gaara missing the right side of his sand body.

'Ugh, who'd've known he'd go after the weak point hidden by the tail?' thought Gaara as he struggled to pull his body back together. 'I wasn't injured but look what he did to my body. Seems like I underestimated him…' "Oh well, I'll just end it here," said Gaara.

"No way, as long as I have my friends by my side you won't win!" yelled Naruto as blue chakra swirled around him. Naruto formed the seal for his trademark jutsu and roared, "Tajyuu (Full Power) Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The surrounding area was instantly filled with Naruto clones. Sasuke and Hinata stared in disbelief before grinning at their friend. "All right, here we go! Jump!" yelled Naruto as he joined all of his clones leaping into the air. "Naruto Ninpoucho: Shihou Hapou Shuriken no Maki (Naruto's Ninja Art; All Direction, High Volume (Many) Shuriken Firing)!" yelled the horde of Naruto clones as they hurled a veritable shuriken rain at Gaara, who was unable to move due to the pain of his body. The sand user blocked with his remaining arm as the other reformed slowly. However the shuriken were only a diversion, as a large number of Naruto clones dove under Gaara and yelled, "U…ZU…MA…KI!" as they kicked upwards. All of the clones now practically dog piled Gaara, punching and kicking as they yelled "Naruto Nisen (2000) Rendan!"

The sheer number of blows sent Gaara even higher, leaving him wide open for Hinata, who appeared above him with a yell of "Nakazor (Midair) Hakke Shou Kaiten!"

The heavenly spin crashed into Gaara and sent him crashing into the ground as Sasuke yelled, "Now it's my turn, CHIDORI!" Naruto and Hinata could only stare in surprise as Sasuke performed Kakashi's sole original jutsu and the sound of a thousand birds filled the clearing. Sasuke charged Gaara and drove the Chidori into Gaara's chest.

"How can they…. Ahhhhhhhhhh there's no way I can lose!" screamed Gaara.

'It can't be, it's finally here?' Temari gasped. Sasuke barely escaped the sudden explosion of sand that shot up around Gaara. Team Seven leapt back and regrouped while staring in shock at the giant tanuki made of sand looming over the forest.

"This is the monster inside of him… it's gigantic!" gasped Hinata.

Gaara raised one of his giant front legs and Naruto gasped as Sand formed around him and Hinata. "Naruto, Hinata!" yelled Sasuke. Naruto quickly bit his thumb and started forming hand seals as the sand closed over him.

"Sabaku Kyuu (Desert Coffin)! Growled the giant Gaara. 'To think I was forced to use this form, but this is the end!' thought Gaara as he prepared to crush the two Genin in his sand's grip.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" yelled Naruto and Hinata's voices, both muffled by the sand. Instantly the clearing was engulfed in smoke and when Sasuke could see he gaped at the site of Naruto standing on the head of Kyu while Hinata crouched on the back of a giant Phoenix.

"It's about time you summoned me, I was getting bored!" said Kyuu as she waved her tails.

"Sorry Kyu-Obaasan (Aunt Kyu), but I didn't realize he could get so big! And how do you know what was going on?" exclaimed Naruto.

"I'll tell you later, for now lets concentrate on getting out of this with all of you kits alive," said the kitsune.

"Hello Hinata-chan, I'm Suzaku, the Phoenix boss. I'm impressed you managed to summon me so soon, but we'll talk later," said the phoenix. Hinata almost fell over from hearing what she had summoned, the most powerful phoenix.

"Hey Suzaku, looks like we're facing off against Shukaku of the sands, think he's going to be tough?" asked Kyu.

"Not really, except we have to worry about the chicks," said Suzaku. At this point Sasuke jumped on Kyu's back with Naruto and stared at Gaara and the two boss summons.

"So Naruto, why haven't I met this aunt of your before?" he asked, his expression clearly saying, 'I know something is going on and you are going to tell me or else!' as he grabbed Naruto in a headlock

"I'll explain later, right now we have to kick that Raccoon's butt!" yelled Naruto as he wiggled out of Sasuke's grip.

"I'll go first Suzaku," said Kyu before taking off at a run and leaping into the air. "Enokorogusa Tsuchi (Fox Tail Hammer)!" yelled Kyuu as she brought her tails crashing down on Gaara's head, only to have the blow blocked by Gaara's tail. Kyu bounced away, leaving the way clear for Suzaku to attack.

"Nepuu (Hot Wind)!" yelled the phoenix as she brought her wings together and sent a twister of fire at Gaara. The attack tore off Gaara's right arm and caused him to scream in agony.

Gaara's scream of pain turned into a bellow of laughter. "You're fun! This is fun! Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata!" As the Konoha group watched in surprise, Gaara's body rose up from the sand tankui's forehead.

"So that's the medium eh?" asked Kyu.

"Apparently, very sloppy job done on him though," replied the phoenix.

Down below, Temari could only look on in horror. 'Oh shit, this is bad! Gaara intends to go all the way! I have to get out of here!' she thought before leaping away from the battle of the titans that was at a temporary standstill.

Gaara now formed the ram seal and said, "Thank you for keeping me entertained so far, now I'll show you the true powers of the sand demon."

"Shit, that is a sloppy seal, look at the bags under his eyes caused by insomnia! Gamabunta could give him competition," said Kyu.

"Insomnia?" asked Sasuke.

"Those possessed by the tanuki demon Shukaku are cursed to never have a decent night's sleep because of extreme terror. If they sleep, their personality is eaten away by Shukaku bit by bit until they disappear," explained the phoenix.

"Because of the insomnia, the medium's personality tends to be unstable. But while the medium is awake, Shukaku's true powers are suppressed. But if the medium were to fall asleep on his own…" Kyu trailed off, watching in horror as Gaara spoke.

"Spell of fake Sleep!" said Gaara before he slumped over and a light snore could be heard from anyone who got close enough to hear.

"Hehehehehe, I'm finally out!" exclaimed the tanuki as its eyes grew brighter. "And here are some little brats I want to kill!" Shukaku raised his left paw with a cry of "Fuuton."

"Hold on you two, we're going to jump!" yelled Kyu.

"Renkuudan (Steroid Blanks)!" roared Shukaku as he slammed his paw into his stomach and spat out a giant ball of chakra laden wind at Kyu. The female kitsune leapt out of the way and into the air again.

"Hihougan (Fire Cannonball)!" yelled Kyu as she spat multiple fireballs at Shukaku.

Suzaku joined the attack with a yell of "Jouka (Sacred Fire)!" and a rain of white flame shot down towards Shukaku.

"Renkuudan!" roared Shukaku as he spat out a barrage of wind balls at both of the boss summons. The attacks slammed into each other, causing a huge explosion in mid air, out of which one lone wind blast shot towards Kyu.

"Obasan, you missed one!" yelled Naruto. The chakra blast slammed into Kyu, obscuring her in an explosion.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke!" screamed Hinata as Suzaku was tossed by the turbulent winds.

"Yeah, I did it! I killed them! I killed them!" cheered Shukaku.

"Ow, you son of a bitch, that hurt!" roared Kyu. "You pumped too much damn chakra into that ball you threw at me!"

Hinata nearly fainted with relief when she saw Naruto and Sasuke were okay. 'Thank you Kami-sama, they're both okay!' she prayed inside her mind.

"Damn, I can't take too many of those hits; I'm only a few days old and not as strong as I normally would be! You two will have to rough up that kid! That will break the spell!" yelled Kyuu.

"Right, so how do we do that?" asked Sasuke.

"I'll get in close and get his guard down, then you two get in there and smack him around to wake him up!" replied the kitsune.

"Let's go!" yelled Naruto. Kyu leapt forward, her front left paw shooting out to grab Shukaku's arm while her tails restrained his other arm and tail. Kyu sank her teeth into Shukaku's neck.

"Okay, do it now!" growled Kyu. Naruto and Sasuke leapt from Kyu's head towards the sleeping Gaara, while Hinata jumped down as Suzaku dive bombed the tanuki.

"Wake up!" all three yelled. Naruto and Sasuke punched Gaara while Hinata did a beautiful jump kick from midair. All three blows hit Gaara at the same time, jerking his body around.

'Good, in this condition Shukaku is pretty weak since the boy hasn't been asleep long, so those hits should be more than enough to wake him up!' thought Kyu and Suzaku.

"Shit!" yelled Shukaku. 'The jutsu is unraveling? I only just came out!' Shukaku's eyes dimmed as control reverted back to Gaara, but Kyu was still being pushed back by the giant sand badger. The sand user glared at Team Seven and the sand beneath them grabbed their feet to keep them from moving while sand shot towards them through the air.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Suzaku as she hovered above the tanuki and slashed at him with her diamond hard talons.

Sand shot into the air, forcing Suzaku away unless she wanted to get her wings broken. No one noticed when Naruto's Hitai-ate was knocked off in his struggle to get free.

"It's useless; you're going to be killed by me. My existence will continue!" said Gaara.

'Shit, it's useless unless this demon tanuki is stopped!' thought Sasuke before he felt a familiar chakra.

"Hyaaaaahhh!" yelled Naruto as red chakra formed around him. Naruto's orange jacket burst open from the wind ripping around him and the sand around his feet was blasted off by the chakra.

"DIE!" yelled Gaara as several sand tentacles shot towards Naruto, whose eyes were now red.

"Here I go you dumb tanuki!" roared Naruto before he leapt forward with his fist cocked to punch Gaara. The sand grabbed Naruto before he could hit Gaara. "You BASTARD!" yelled the blond before he head butted Gaara. Gaara's jaw dropped slightly and Shukaku's body started to crumble to pieces.

'That's Naruto for you, using a basic head butt with his super thick skull,' thought Sasuke as he grabbed Hinata just before they landed on one of Kyu's tails. Naruto and Gaara on the other hand fell into the trees and slowly got to their knees glaring at each other.

"Even I'm empty after all that, same with you right?" demanded Naruto. "I'll reach my limit after one more blow to you. We're both alike, you and I. Let's make this the end of it!"

(0o0o0)

Inside the purple flame barrier, Sarutobi and Orochimaru were locked in combat. Orochimaru's sword had pierced Sarutobi's back while the Sandaime had summoned the Death God and was attempting to seal Orochimaru's soul inside him to kill the snake Sennin. Sarutobi's summons, the Monkey King Enma, was gripping the sword to prevent it from making any more progress into Sarutobi's body but one of Orochimaru's snakes was holding him back.

"Looks like… I don't have enough strength left to pull all of your soul out," said the former Hokage.

"Could you please die already Sarutobi-sensei?" demanded Orochimaru.

"But, your ambitions end here!" said the Sandaime. The death god's hand, which was sticking out of Sarutobi's stomach, tightened its grip on the part of Orochimaru's soul representing his arms.

"My ambition is at an end? That is said a lot…in these times of circumstances," said Orochimaru as he used a hand gesture to make his sword, the legendary Kusanagi no Tsurugi, cut deeper into Sarutobi's body. The snake sennin suddenly felt coldness in his arms as if the chakra had stopped flowing into them. 'It grabbed my arms, I can't use any jutsu!' he thought.

"Good, the separation process has begun!" muttered Sarutobi.

"My ambition will not end! You will die here!" yelled Orochimaru.

"Your ambition won't affect this village any more," replied the Third.

"You've grown old Sandaime; do you think you have the strength to save this village? Look around you…" countered Orochimaru. "I've ordered my subordinates, the Hidden Sand shinobi, to come and infiltrate the village. Your Konoha shinobi will be annihilated down to the women and children! Konoha will crumble!"

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he said, "You should know, Orochimaru, not to take the shinobi of this village lightly…"

Indeed, all the clans of Konoha were fighting to protect their homes. Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga used their Kaiten in opposite directions to generate a giant shredder that tore apart any foe foolish enough to come near them. Chouji's father could easily be seen as he wielded a giant Bo staff to swat his opponents as they were frozen by his old team mates, the fathers of Ino and Shikamaru. Kiba's mother led her daughter and the pack of family dogs through the streets, ripping out the throats of any Sound shinobi they encountered and maiming the Sand ones. Shino's father was seen striding through swarms of insects as the Kikai bugs leeched away his opponents' chakra. Sakura's mother had released her own inner self, which was kicking the butt of any foes who came after the children under her care as she helped Iruka keep watch over the evacuated children and civilians. ANBU worked together in teams to ambush Jounin level enemies, leaving the Chunnin and Jounin free to take on the weaker foes and quickly wipe them out. Even if Konoha were to fall, the unity of its shinobi would live on and they would triumph over all odds to defeat their foes.

"Konoha's shinobi are all fighting to protect the village. They fight with all their live! True strength isn't in the mastery of ninjutsu; I was unable to teach you that. When they are protecting something precious, that's when a shinobi's true strength emerges!" said Sarutobi.

"A boring speech," yawned Orochimaru.

"Hmph. This is good; I don't feel like letting you off now. For you, who are obsessed with jutsu, this is the appropriate punishment. TO STEAL ALL OF YOUR JUTSU!" exclaimed the Sandaime Hokage.

"What?" demanded the snake Sennin. The death god behind Sarutobi raised the giant knife in its hand as it tightened its grip on the soul of Orochimaru's arms. "Can't be…Stop it!" yelled Orochimaru. The knife came down, severing the soul of Orochimaru's arms.

"Sealed!" yelled Sarutobi. The soul arms were sucked into his body and a spiral seal appeared on his stomach.

"Gwa, my arms won't move!" gasped Orochimaru as his arms started to blacken.

"You won't be able to use either arm. You won't be able to use them because they are completely sealed, you no longer have any jutsu," said Sarutobi. "You were unsuccessful at destroying Konoha.

"You old man! Give me back my arms!" yelled Orochimaru.

"You're foolish Orochimaru. They've both been completely destroyed. My apprentice, we'll meet in another world," whispered the former Hokage. Behind him, the death god started to devour his soul, the cost of the sealing jutsu used on the evil snake sennin.

"Your light is blown out old man! All this! All this! My jutsu!" screamed the snake sennin.

"The place the leaves dance, the fires burn the fire of the shadow illuminates the village," whispered Sarutobi with his dying breath and a smile on his face. The Sandaime Hokage, known as the Professor for his mastery of all the jutsu within Konoha, had finally fulfilled his duty as the Hokage, to lay down his life for the sake of the village. Sarutobi's body fell to the ground as his soul was taken to the belly of the death god for all eternity.

"Shitty old man, what's so funny?" yelled Orochimaru.

"Sarutobi, at least I can free this blade, but surely you have mastered the way of the Shinobi at the end of your life," said Enma before he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru's subordinates dropped the purple flame barrier and ran to their leader's side, protecting him as they retreated from the gathered Konoha forces.

(0o0o0)

Back with Naruto and Gaara, both boys had regained their breath and now leapt at each other, ready to deliver the final blow to end this fight. With a loud CRACK that echoed through the suddenly silent forest, Naruto's fist slammed into Gaara's head and sent both boys crashing to the ground. Naruto breathed deeply, while Gaara lay still. "That's enough Naruto," said Sasuke as he landed beside the boy with Gishou and Hinata. Kyu and Suzaku kept watch over the group, not about to let Gaara get away before Kyu had a chance to instruct someone on how to seal Shukaku away for good. "He's down and out of chakra," the Uchiha boy said as he stared at Gaara. Sasuke and Hinata both looked up as Temari dropped down beside her brother. Haku suddenly appeared with Kankuro bound in bands of ice and Hinata was suddenly behind Temari with a kunai. "Give up, Kyuubi wants to talk to you and we aren't about to let you just leave and make her mad," said Sasuke with a smirk.

"Yes, I need to seal Shukaku away to fix the seal placed on you Gaara," said Kyu.

"It's alright, stop it," said Gaara softly.

Kyu felt for her connection to Kyuubi and was horrified to find it missing until Kyoichi told her what had happened from the side lines. Kyu sighed and said, "Alright, everybody stand back from Gaara so I don't seal you up too!" Everyone backed away and Kyu's tails began to glow. With a flare of light, eight kanji appeared around Gaara on the ground. Clockwise from the top there were Fire, Lightning, Wind, Ice, Water, Wood, Earth, and Metal. Kyu tapped each kanji with a different tail and said, "Kyutenshi Fuuin (Nine Natural Elements Seal)!" The kanji for Void suddenly appeared on Gaara's chest and he felt the presence of Shukaku being shut away. If you were to enter Gaara's mind now, you would find a giant black portal inside the desert that was his mindscape. Inside that portal was a chamber where Shukaku now rested, freed from the madness caused by the faulty method of sealing him into Gaara. "There, now you can sleep without fear of Shukaku possessing you and he will be able to regain his sanity. It is sad to see my old friend in such a state, but I blame your father's ambition and not you Gaara," said the kitsune. "Now come back to Konoha with us and we'll see if the fighting is over. The sand siblings nodded and Kyu's tails scooped everyone up onto her back.

Naruto immediately snuggled up with Hinata; wrapping his tails around her while she tied his Hitai-ate back on before leaning against his chest and hugging him. Haku and Sasuke were in a similar position, both exhausted from their earlier battles and the more recent one. "Let's go home," said Naruto as Kyu trotted off towards Konoha.

**An: And that's the end of this tail. Man, I don't know what came over me, but I just couldn't stop writing this week. I guess listening to some of the Naruto music from Narutofan really inspired me; I've even made a play list called Naruto Inspirational Music. I hope you all enjoyed this tail and I'll try to get Tail 15 out as soon as possible.**


	16. Tail 15: Aftermath and Akatsuki

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, this is my birthday gift to Naruto, since his birthday was the Tenth of October! Congratulations fox boy! This chapter seemed to come pretty easily, I'm not sure if future ones will come out so quickly, hopefully my inspirational Naruto music will help.**

_Review Responses: Due to a new rule at I can no longer respond to reviews. If you are like me and dislike this idea, send me your username and e-mail address so I can place it on a petition going around to get this rule revoked. Please help!_

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

Upon arriving back in Konoha, Kyu and her passengers were greeted by Jiraiya at the front gates. "Oi Jiraiya-Ojiisan, where are my parents?" yelled Naruto the moment he saw the Toad sennin standing on the wall beside the gates.

Jiraiya sighed and said, "I'm afraid I have bad news about that Naruto. You had all better come to your house and I'll explain there once everyone is there. In the meantime, were you able to seal Shukaku?"

"Yep, Kyu-Obasan used the Kyutenshi Fuuin (Nine Natural Elements Seal) on Gaara and Shukaku has been sealed away," said Naruto, his head swiveling as he looked for his parents' distinctive hair.

"Naruto, I don't think I should go walking through the village at this size, so everyone get off," said Kyu as she knelt down to let all the genin disembark. Kankuro did so with a noticeable limp due to the kunai Sasuke had jabbed into his legs when the puppet user made a very perverted comment about Haku. Gaara was slightly unsteady and leaned against Temari as she chatted with Haku. Now that they weren't enemies, the two older girls were discussing how pig headed boys, mainly Kankuro, could be. Kyu shrank down to Gishou's size and jumped into Hinata's arms while Naruto carried Gishou on his head. Jiraiya led the group to the Uzumaki house, keeping one eye on the sand siblings at all times in case they tried anything.

At the Uzumaki house the group was greeted by a worried Akemi, Aki, and Neji. All three looked a little beat up and it was obvious they had participated in Konoha's defense. Rin and Kakashi were also present and Naruto was starting to feel really nervous since neither of his parents had shown up. "All right everyone, sit down and listen up!" said Jiraiya, looking uncharacteristically serious. "My stupid apprentice got himself sealed inside a crystal coffin that can only be melted by Kyuubi's fox fire. Does that mean you can melt it Kyu-hime?" the toad sennin asked the nine tailed vixen.

Kyu sighed as she said, "Unfortunately, no I can not. My spiritual energy is slightly different than my sister's and wouldn't work. Ankoku could have been lying but most likely he anticipated my sister being unable to melt the crystal."

"Well he was right. Kyoichi brought word to me that Kyuubi was sealed into a tree by Tsubaki's dagger. This dagger normally tears the victim's soul from their body and binds it to the service of the dagger's wielder, but Tsubaki died before that could happen. Unfortunately this means that Kyuubi's soul is trapped in the spirit realm. Her soul can only return to her body if the dagger is removed by a very powerful miko. For now both Kyuubi and Ken will be listed as incapacitated. We've already recovered Ken's body thanks to Gama Kichi and Kyuubi's body was hidden by Kyoichi. Once we free Kyuubi she can free Ken and then they can take a long vacation together," said Jiraiya.

"Where are we going to find a miko powerful to remove the dagger?" asked Haku.

"Easy, the kunoichi of my team, Emi, is very strong and now lives as a miko in a nearby city a week's journey from here," replied the toad Sennin.

"In the mean time, Kakashi and I will be living here with you as supervisors," said Rin. Kakashi nodded without looking up from his book, which was promptly slashed in half by one of Kyu's tails wielding a meat cleaver.

"So who is in charge of the village now, Sarutobi-Ojiisan?" asked Naruto. All the adults in the room grew sad at the mention of the Sandaime and all the genin grew worried.

"Sandaime-sama died fighting Orochimaru. He sacrificed himself to seal away the bastard's arms and steal away all his jutsu. The elders are going to meet after the Sandaime's funeral to discuss the next leader of the village," said Kakashi, sounding unusually serious.

Tears started to pour out of the eyes of all the Konoha genin, Sarutobi had been like a kind grandfather to all the kids in the academy and the Uzumaki family in particular. Even Haku and Akemi, who hadn't known him that long, were sobbing.

"What will happen to us?" asked Temari. All the Konoha shinobi jumped in surprise, they had totally forgotten about the sand siblings.

"Well, Kyuubi intended for Gaara to stay here for a while so he could grow more comfortable with Shukaku and see what Konoha was like. For now you'll be given a hotel room and be free to wander the village with ANBU supervision," said Kyu. None of the adults dared to question the kitsune, knowing the history between Kyuubi and Kyu.

"That's another thing, who exactly is Kyu?" asked Sasuke. "I've never met her in the five years I've lived with Naruto and his family and Naruto calls her Kyu-obasan."

"I'm actually half of Kyuubi's spirit," said Kyu. "Kyuubi knew she would probably be busy fighting in a battle if the village was attacked like Jiraiya's information suggested and Naruto would need a powerful summons to back him up against Shukaku if he came out. She split herself into me, her true form, and herself, the woman you see everyday. My spirit is actually tied into Naruto's youki so I know what is going on around him."

"But that's impossible! Not even Hokage-sama could have taken part of your soul into his chakra system without dying!" exclaimed Hinata.

"True, but Naruto is special. I was essentially sentient Youki at first, so I was able to join with Naruto's Youki easily. After that I grew stronger and just waited to be summoned," replied Kyu.

Naruto abruptly stood up and ran out of the room, but not before Hinata could see tears pouring down his face. Before anyone could say anything, Hinata and Kyu ran out after him. When Rin started to go after the trio, Kakashi's hand on her wrist caused her to stop. "They need some time alone right now. Naruto just lost both his parents for an unknown length of time, right now he needs the comfort of those closest to him," said the Copy Ninja.

(0o0o0)

Hinata and Kyu found Naruto in the large back yard of the Uzumaki house sitting beside a large pond that doubled as a swimming pool and training ground for Suiton jutsu. Naruto was staring into the distance and didn't react when the kitsune and his girlfriend approached him. Gone were the foxy grin that Hinata loved so much and the mischievous twinkle in his sapphire eyes. Naruto's tails drooped with sadness and his ears were slumped instead of alert.

"Naruto-kun," whispered Hinata as she watched him for a moment before sitting down beside him. Naruto's tails wrapped around Hinata and the two genin drew comfort in each others' embrace. Kyu walked up to the two as a horse sized nine tailed fox and lay down behind them and used her tails as blankets. Naruto and Hinata slowly drifted off to sleep with the feeling of warmth and safety the tails provided.

(0o0o0)

Ken stared at the white space that surrounded him as far as the eye could see. The Yondaime Hokage's last memory before waking up here was the sight of Gama Kichi and Ken could only assume that he was dead. "Well this sucks, I pictured the after life as being able to share a room with Kyuubi for all eternity without anyone being able to bother us," muttered the blond. Ken stuck one of his kunai in the ground and started walking in a random direction to see if he could find anything. After walking for what seemed like several hours, Ken found himself facing his kunai. The white void was subject to profanity that would make a sailor blush as Ken cursed Ankoku, Orochimaru, and Tsubaki with many unflattering comments about their parentage and ancestry.

A sudden thumping was all the warning Ken had before he was tackled to the ground and kissed on the lips by Kyuubi. The kitsune woman kept the lip lock going for a full ten minutes before breaking contact and saying, "I guess we both got careless and got our souls sent to the spirit realm."

"So that's what this place is. Are we dead?" asked Ken as he pulled Kyuubi into his lap.

"No, it's more like our bodies are asleep while we're here," said Kyuubi.

"So… we're stuck in a white void with no kids, no paperwork, and no emergency operations," said Ken as a grin appeared on his face. However it was more suited to his super perverted sensei than the head of the Uzumaki clan. Kyuubi answered with a matching grin and the void was soon filled with the sound of two people madly in love with one another making the most of the time they had alone.

(0o0o0)

Two days after the battle against the Sand and Sound, all of Konoha gathered to mourn the loss of Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. Everyone was dressed in black and many tears would be shed this day. Indeed, nature itself seemed to be in mourning as the rain fell on the fathered shinobi attending Sarutobi's funeral. Naruto and Iruka flanked Konohamaru, whose tears were unhidden by the rain. The young boy had taken the loss of his grandfather very hard and it hurt Naruto's heart to picture himself in Konohamaru's place if either of his parents had died. "Konohamaru, your father once told me that all of Konoha's shinobi have a spirit of fire," said the academy teacher.

"Spirit… of fire?" asked the Academy student with a sniffle.

"All of the people of this village have a strong sense of protection, and all of us have this spirit, all of us are part of the same family. Konohamaru, you have that spirit that caused your grandfather to lay down his life for the village," replied the scar nosed Chunnin.

"And he did it to make sure this village he loved would survive, so you could some day take his place as Hokage," said Naruto around the sobs aching to get out of his mouth.

"Right, I'm going to make Ji-san proud of me and take the Hokage title from you some day bro!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

"I know you will," said Naruto as one of his tails hugged the younger boy while another was wrapped around the Hyuuga girl standing on his other side. Hinata smiled and squeezed Naruto's hand, silently thanking him for cheering up the younger boy.

(0o0o0)

In the training ground with the stone of heroes where those Konoha shinobi who fell in battle were immortalized, Jiraiya leaned against the training log that Kakashi had been tied to during Team Seven's Genin exam and smiled as the memories of his own team's turn to get the bells from their sensei Sarutobi played through his mind. Jiraiya had ended up tied to the log for failing to get a bell while Orochimaru and Tsunade had succeeded. When Sarutobi had started to lecture at Jiraiya, the white haired boy had proudly declared his peeping skills were unsurpassed and bragged about his Touton (Transparent Escape) no Jutsu. Sarutobi had stared at the tied up boy for a moment before saying "I'll have to come with you next time and see how good this Touton no Jutsu is for myself."

Jiraiya had stared at his sensei for a moment before declaring, "Sarutobi-sensei is a lecher!" That had led to the first of many peeping trips by the two. Jiraiya's Touton proved to be very good and the women they peeped on were not the least bit threatened by the possibility of punishment for pounding the Hokage when they caught him trying to sneak around their gathering spots. Of course Jiraiya's uncontrollable laughter at seeing his sensei beat up by a bunch of women, most of whom weren't kunoichi, often led to him being found and given a similar beating.

His mind back in the present, Jiraiya lifted a bottle of sake and said, "Well Sensei, I promise to look after this village you loved enough to give up your life for. I hope your spirit finds peace in the after life," before draining the bottle in a long swallow.

(0o0o0)

Back at the funeral, Naruto stared at the faces of his father and Sarutobi on the Hokage monument. "Iruka-sensei…" upon seeing he had the teacher's attention, Naruto continued, "What are humans? Is life just that simple?"

Iruka smiled and knew that Naruto was asking because he often felt different from all the other children around him because of his kitsune blood and was trying to rationalize all of his feelings. "When a person dies, it doesn't matter if it is the past, present, or future, they lose everything. Sandaime-sama died fighting for something he believed in, which is the best way to die in battle. It's like a dream, it doesn't matter if you haven't reached your goal, but everyone knows that the most important thing is to die for a cause. Family, friends, lovers, all the other villagers, to me, those are the most important people. We trust each other, help each other, from the day we are born to the day we die. We feel that love is the most important. That kind of relationship takes time and trust to develop. Anyone with this Hitai-ate on knows because it is very important," replied the teacher.

"Yeah, I know that as well," said Naruto. "But death is still painful."

"Sandaime-sama wouldn't think so, and neither would your parents," said Kakashi. "Because we all agree that people should not be hurt for no reason. But it's no use even if you do understand."

"Right, but not knowing is better than knowing," replied the fox boy.

Soon the shinobi of Konoha approached the altar to the Sandaime and placed a white lily in front of his picture to show their respect for the old Hokage. The rain stopped as the final flower was placed and the giant carved face of the Sandaime seemed to smile down on the village.

"Bye Iruka-sensei!" yelled Naruto as he ran to join Hinata, Sasuke, Haku, Akemi, Neji, Aki, Kakashi, and Rin for the walk back home. The group was going to spend the day together in celebration of the exams being over while Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata filled the others in on the fight with Gaara.

'Shinobi of Konoha, the Spirit of Fire you spoke of Sandaime-sama will shine brightly no matter where it goes. Even though it is a little fire, it shines brightly, at the same time, overlooking this village, protecting it,' thought Iruka as he waved good bye to Naruto.

(0o0o0)

The next day, anyone who had bothered to look for Jiraiya would have found him using a telescope to peep on one of the local hot springs. The super pervert was giggling while a small trail of drool leaked down his chin.

"I see you still haven't given up on foolish things, have you?" asked an elderly voice behind the sennin. Jiraiya turned to find his sensei's two team mates behind him.

"Mitokado Homura, Koharu-sensei right?" asked the Sennin. "What does a Council advisor want with me?"

"What business are we here for? We have something to tell you. You'll probably understand why," said Homura, the male of the pair.

"So you say, even though your faces don't look it, the talks with Suna are going well. Hasn't it been concluded?" asked the toad sennin.

"Right now, the relationship with Suna is not important," replied the older man. "Right now, the power of Konoha is declining. We have lost the Sandaime permanently while Kyuubi-sama and Yondaime-sama are unavailable. Under these circumstances, the top priority is preparing for upcoming crises."

"Because we do not know when the neighboring villages might make a move, until the power of the village is restored, the emergency council of the village clans and elders has decided we need a strong leader to rely on," said Koharu. "Right now, there is some sort of trouble coming this way, not just Orochimaru."

"You see, what we're trying to say is that we need a foundation to build on this village's defensive plan. As of now a Godaime Hokage is needed," said Horuma.

Koharu continued, "And so, at an urgent meeting with the council yesterday, we decided that you Jiraiya are the one needed to take that position."

Jiraiya scowled and raised his hand to cut off the elders as he said, "Unluckily for you, I'm not the type suited to the job."

"But the council made the decision! And aren't you one of the Sannin? If you are not the type then tell us who is?" demanded Homura.

"There is the third member of the Sannin, Tsunade," said Jiraiya.

"That is true, but even though she is qualified to take the position we have no idea where she is right now," replied Koharu.

"I have a good idea, I was planning to look for her after I picked up someone who can free Kyuubi from the spell binding her," said Jiraiya. "For now, I suggest the clan heads look to Hiashi to lead them, his clan is the most powerful right now and he is a fair man. Meanwhile, I already have a team in mind to help me in locating Tsunade and the other person…"

(0o0o0)

Kakashi was leaning against the wall of a popular sweet shop in Konoha, actually waiting for someone to meet him. The thing that would have screamed 'trouble' to anyone who really knew the masked Jounin was that he didn't have his nose buried in Icha Icha Paradise. Kakashi glanced up as Kurenai and Asuma approached him. "Hey you two… you guys look good together. Are you on a date?" asked the masked Jounin.

"Baka! Anko asked me to pick up some sweets for her," said Kurenai.

"What about you, are you here to pick up sweets?" asked Asuma, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Kakashi's eye curved upwards as he said, "Nope, sometimes I stop by here for a snack, but right now I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?" asked Kurenai, very unnerved by the idea of Kakashi waiting for anyone.

"Rin," replied Kakashi.

Inside the shop, one of the two figures dressed in black cloaks with red clouds on them and large straw hats seemed to tense as Sasuke walked up saying, "Kakashi-sensei, it is very different to find you waiting for someone. I guess you finally got a map for the road of Life?"

"Well, to tell you the truth I wanted to avoid Gai's latest challenge and told him I was late for a meeting ten minutes ago," said Kakashi with a smile.

Sasuke glanced into the sweet shop, but the two black cloaked figures had disappeared. "I was planning on buying some sweets for Haku, so I'll talk to you later," said Sasuke. The boy walked into the shop and raised his hand in farewell to the three sensei.

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow for training," said Kakashi as he glanced at Asuma and Kurenai. Both of the other Jounin nodded before leaping off too fast for Sasuke's normal eyes to follow. Sasuke purchased Haku's sweets and left, passing Rin as he headed back to the park where he'd spent the afternoon with Haku. As Sasuke turned the corner, he saw Rin and Kakashi disappear also but shrugged it off as none of his business.

(0o0o0)

At the Ichiraku Ramen stand you could see the stand's best customers sharing the lover's special. Naruto had his tails around Hinata as they ate together while Ayame teased them about when the wedding would be. Gishou was happily perched on Naruto's head taking a nap in a sunbeam. The approach of a familiar scent had Naruto's nose twitching and he looked up as Jiraiya ducked under the stand's banner. "Well, well, well, sharing a meal together are we? What's next, a bed?" asked the super pervert. Said pervert suddenly found a Chakra Scalpel leveled at his family jewels while Hinata glared at him with some noodles hanging out of her mouth. Hinata slurped up the noodles to allow her to speak.

"Be careful Jiraiya-san or I will insist that my father provide Hyuuga guards for the bath houses," said the blue haired girl in a tone that said she wasn't joking. Naruto swallowed his own mouth of noodles and started laughing at the super pervert. The blond laughed so hard he almost fell off his stool and Gishou jumped to the much safer counter top. The toad Sennin was nervously eyeing Hinata, though if it was the threat to his manhood or the possibility of Hyuuga guards that scared him more was anyone's guess.

"Now, what do you want Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto after he got his breath back.

Jiraiya sat down at the counter, making sure to keep Naruto between Hinata and himself. "I need the two of you to come with me to find Tsunade and your father's team mate," said the older ninja.

"Is Tsunade-obaasan (Grandmother Tsunade) going to be the Godaime if we can't revive my parents?" asked Naruto, the happy smile on his face fading.

"Possibly, the main thing is that we need her here and I think your parents could use a break after we free them and Tsunade would be willing to take on a temporary role as Hokage to give it to them," replied Jiraiya.

"Why am I coming along Jiraiya-san?" asked Hinata.

"Simple, I want you to meet Tsunade so she can see how you've fared as a medic nin and in case Naruto's kitsune blood gets activated you can calm him down. Besides, I think I can teach you some useful techniques since you apparently have enough chakra to summon a boss level summons," said the toad Sennin.

"You had better not be planning to peep on Hinata-chan when she's bathing or I'll shove a Rasengan up your ass Ero-sennin!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Gaki, how many times do I have to tell you NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" yelled Jiraiya before he bonked Naruto on the head. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke and Hinata glanced up before starting to laugh. Jiraiya followed her gaze and saw Naruto standing on the ceiling of the stand eating the last of ramen in the bowl he had been sharing with Hinata.

"Hehehe, getting slow Ji-san!" said Naruto with a smirk before dropping half of the meal's cost on the counter and running out of the stand with Jiraiya hot on his heels. Hinata paid her half of the tab and picked up Gishou before exiting the stand herself. The villagers grinned as they watched the white haired man run after the fox boy for a half hour before he finally caught Naruto as he got held up by the Konohamaru Corp's demands to play ninja with them. Jiraiya dragged Naruto back to the Uzumaki house and made him pack for a week long trip, with extra clothes sealed inside a scroll stashed in the bottom of Naruto's pack. After leaving a note explaining things to Kakashi, Rin, Sasuke, Haku, and Akemi, Naruto was ready to go. A knock on the door announced Hinata's arrival. When Naruto opened the door to admit his girlfriend, he was surprised to find her carrying a medium sized scroll showing a phoenix rising out of a nest of flames on the outside. "Ano-sa Hinata-chan, what's that scroll?" asked Naruto.

"Hinotama gave it to me last night, he said to study it when I get the chance. Apparently these are the Phoenix jutsu that can only be used by some one who has summoned Suzaku," replied Hinata.

"You're very lucky, the techniques granted to a summoner by the boss of their summons clan are very powerful and useful," said Jiraiya. "That reminds me, Naruto, you are going to have to sign the Toad contract so I can locate you in a hurry." Naruto blinked in surprise before shrugging and signing the contract. The fox boy ran through the seals and slammed his hand against the ground without gathering a lot of chakra and a small orange toad appeared.

"Hey Naruto, long time no see!" said Gama Kichi as he raised a webbed foot in greeting. Gamabunta's son had been a constant playmate for a young Naruto thanks to Ken's contract with the toads and Naruto was always willing to share some candy with his friend.

"As touching as this reunion is, we have to get going now. Go home Gama Kichi, you can play with Naruto later," said Jiraiya.

Gama Kichi glared at the Toad Sennin before muttering, "Baka Ero-sennin," and disappearing in a puff of smoke. Hinata and Naruto both grinned at the young toad's use of Naruto's favorite nickname for Jiraiya. Said Sennin was seriously considering tying Naruto to a tree and eating all the ramen the boy was sure to have packed, that is if he could manage to find all the scrolls with the instant noodle cups sealed away.

"Well, are you two coming or not?" asked the super pervert as he lead the way out of the house. Naruto and Hinata followed with Gishou perched on Naruto's head.

(0o0o0)

Haku glanced up from her senbon target practice as Sasuke entered the clearing with the bag of sweets he bought earlier. The unofficial couple had been training together until Sasuke lost at a target practice match and had to go buy their afternoon snack. "Something wrong?" asked Haku.

"Not really, I just saw Kakashi-Sensei waiting for Rin-Sensei outside the sweet shop, replied the raven haired boy.

"Do you think maybe Kakashi-sensei is sick?" asked the dragon girl.

"Could be, should we go visit him and make sure?" replied Sasuke. Haku nodded and the two Genin set off for Kakashi's apartment. As they walked they noticed an unusual number of ANBU about, seemingly searching for something. 'Even though we just recovered from the Sound and Sand attack there weren't been this many ANBU around yesterday,' thought the Uchiha boy.

(0o0o0)

Gai, Kurenai, Rin, and Asuma were all gathered in Kakashi's apartment. The masked Jounin was lying in his bed unconscious. All four of the conscious Jounin looked up as the door opened to reveal Sasuke and Haku. "What are you two doing here?" asked Rin.

"We thought something might be wrong with Kakashi, he's never early for a meeting," said Sasuke.

"Did something happen?" asked Haku, her eyes noting the fresh bandages on Asuma's left arm and the way Kurenai held her side as if she had been injured.

"It's nothing really," said Gai with a blinding smile. However before the green clad Jounin could say anything else, a Jounin with a pair of goggle like glasses named Aoba skidded to a halt in the door way.

"Is the story that Itachi returned and is after Naruto true?" demanded the Jounin before his face paled as he saw Sasuke and Haku in the room.

Sasuke's face lost all color as he started to shiver. "No, not Naruto! I won't let that bastard harm the only family I have left!" roared Sasuke before he ran out of the apartment before any of the Jounin could stop him. Haku followed Sasuke, ignoring Rin's cry to stop. Sasuke ran to the Uzumaki house and burst through the doors. Haku entered more slowly, with several senbon in her hands. "Kuso, they've left the village!" yelled Sasuke as he slammed his fist into the wall after finding Naruto's note. Haku read the note and placed it back in its original location before dragging Sasuke outside.

"Relax, I have a trick that will make this easy," said the girl as she created a single ice mirror before breathing on it and saying, "Uranai HyouShou (Divination Ice Mirror)!" The mirror frosted over for a minute before clearing to show Jiraiya, Hinata, and Naruto walking down the road. Sasuke looked for any details that could tell him where the group was headed and grinned as he recognized one of the rest posts they were passing.

"They're heading towards the hotel town near here, we can get there quickly if we hurry!" said Sasuke before he ran towards the gates of Konoha. Haku followed after him, sensing the urgency in his voice. Sasuke never sounded worried, so this had to be serious. 'I won't let it happen again! I couldn't save mother and father from that bastard, but maybe I can save Naruto.' Memories of the night Itachi massacred the rest of their clan filled Sasuke's head, especially the death of the brothers' parents. Itachi had made Sasuke replay their deaths again and again in his head with the Mangekyou Sharingan (Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye) jutsu Tsukuyomi. Sasuke had been mentally scarred by the experience and it was only due to the love of the Uzumaki family that he had been able to regain his cheerful attitude and put the past behind him. Now all of that threatened to be brought down around him and Sasuke would be dammed if he let Itachi ruin his life again.

(0o0o0)

"Man this place is bigger each time I come here!" said Naruto as he looked around the famous hotel town a short distance from Konoha. The Uzumaki family often came here when Ken had to visit another country for the first night of their trip and thus Naruto knew many of the hotels in the town. In fact, this town was where the Daimyo and other lords had stayed during the Chunnin Exam. "Jiraiya-ji-san, I recommend the Imperial Lily, they give anyone from Konoha a good discount and have the best service," said the fox boy.

"Okay, we'll stay there," agreed the toad summoner. However, just after Jiraiya finished paying for the room, a pretty woman in a skimpy dress walked by and gave him a sultry look. Naruto sighed as the super pervert started grinning and slammed a pair of room keys into his hands. "Naruto, you and Hinata go and practice or something, I'm going to go do some research," said the Sennin.

"Yeah right Ero-Sennin, you go do your pervert thing, I'll be training in the woods outside of town," said Naruto as he tossed one of the keys to Hinata before pocketing the other and walking out the door. Gishou stayed with Hinata since she was going to study the phoenix scroll while Jiraiya ran off after the pretty woman.

Naruto entered the edge of the forest and kept going until he reached a large clearing. "I know you're there Itachi-teme, come on out!" growled Naruto. Never would Naruto forget the scent of the man he had sworn to help Sasuke kill who had been a big brother to both of them growing up. Two figures in black cloaks with red clouds embroidered on them stepped into the clearing. The taller of the two had blue skin, three gill like slits under each eye, and teeth that looked like they belonged in the mouth of a shark and carried a large bandage wrapped sword on his back. The smaller of the two looked like an older version of Sasuke with two scars under his eyes and a long ponytail. The major difference was that this man had three comma marks in his Sharingan eyes, showing he had obtained the highest level of the Sharingan, the Mangekyou. "It's been a long time Itachi-teme, I just wish it had been longer," said Naruto.

"Hmph, he's got spunk," said the shark man as he reached for his sword. "We don't need him running around. I'll just cut off a leg…"

"Hoshigaki Kisame, S-class Nukenin from Kiri, a known Daimyo slayer and wanted for incidents of war against other countries, former member of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen. Uchiha Itachi, S-class Nukenin from Konoha, wanted for the massacre of the Uchiha clan and all around bastard. I'll make sure to drag you back so Sasuke can finish you off," said Naruto as he reached for Nenshousaiga's handle.

"Well, you are a well informed gaki, aren't you?" asked Kisame.

Naruto simply shrugged as he unsheathed his katana and said, "When you're the Hokage's son you get to know the members of the Bingo book really well. Otou-san uses copies for target practice."

"Naruto-kun, please come with us, I have no wish to cause trouble," said Itachi.

"Sheesh, you must think I'm really stupid. You killed your entire clan except for Sasuke and basically raped his mind and you think I'll go with you of my own free will? Not going to happen!" exclaimed the blond.

"Oh well, guess I'll get to work off a little stress on you," said the sharkman before he swung his sword at Naruto, only to see the fox boy disappear in a flash of light.

Naruto reappeared above Kisame and yelled "Kaen-giri (Flame Slash) before swinging his sword to send an arc of blue flame at Kisame. The nukenin swung his sword up to block and Naruto's eyes widened as the sword emitted a chakra pulse and sucked up the attack's chakra component. However that left the fox fire to slam into the blade. The fire didn't do much, however it did burn away some of the bandages and reveal the sword underneath looked like it was a mass of sharp teeth.

"Hehehe, my Samehada (Shark Skin) eats up chakra!" said the Nukenin. Naruto scowled and landed on the ground before shifting his sword stance.

"Do Kitsune Sen (Earth Fox Flash)!" growled Naruto before he thrust Nenshousaiga into the ground and then towards Kisame, sending a wind full of dirt and rocks at the shark man. Kisame blocked the attack with his sword, only to find Naruto was gone when he lowered the bandaged wrapped blade.

"Where did he go?" demanded Kisame.

The shark man's question was answered by a yell of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The two Nukenin found themselves surrounded by Naruto clones.

"Kisame, finish this now!" said Itachi. Kisame grunted and charged towards the horde of Naruto clones. With one swing of Samehada, all the clones were destroyed. A loud howl suddenly echoed through the forest and caused both nukenin to freeze for a second. Then Naruto came flying back into the clearing courtesy of one of Itachi's Kage Bunshin. Naruto slammed into a tree and slid down to the ground dazed. Itachi moved towards the fox boy, only to leap back as several kunai and shuriken buried themselves in the ground in front of him. "Well, well, today seems to be a day for reunions. It's been a long time Hinata-chan," said the Uchiha traitor.

Hinata leapt out of the trees and landed in between the two nukenin and Naruto before dropping into the Jyuken stance. "You won't lay a finger on Naruto-kun you murderer!" hissed Hinata, Byakugan active.

"I'm sorry, but that is not an option," said the black haired young man before he charged towards Hinata. Itachi only got a few steps before he felt a chakra pulse sweep over his body and freeze him in place.

"You're in my divination field! Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" exclaimed Hinata before darting forwards. Hinata's arms became blurs as she chanted, "Two Hakke! Four Hakke! Eight Hakke! Sixteen Hakke! Thirty Two Hakke! Sixty Four Hakke!" As Itachi stumbled from the attack, Hinata's right hand shot forward one final time as blue chakra surrounded it. The Jyuken strike slammed into Itachi's chest and caused him to cough up blood before he suddenly exploded. Hinata's Byakugan barely managed to see the flare of chakra that heralded the blast and she was only able to throw up her arms to shield her eyes from the blast. 'Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin (Exploding Shadow Clone) no Jutsu!' thought Hinata. Ken had used the skill once to test Naruto's reflexes and Hinata had been amazed at the level of chakra control the jutsu required.

"Let's finish them off Itachi-san, this is getting boring," stated Kisame. Itachi didn't answer right away and the sharkman turned to his partner. "Well?"

"It's been a long time, Sasuke," said Itachi without turning to face the Uchiha boy as he stepped out from behind a tree.

"Itachi," said the younger Uchiha.

"Well, well, today is just full of coincidences, this is the second time I've seen another Sharingan," said Kisame. "Itachi, finish off the brat and let's get out of here." With that, Kisame charged Naruto, intending to slice off his legs. However, a thick mist suddenly sprung up around the fox boy and Kisame skidded to a stop. "Kirigakure (Hidden in the Mist) no Jutsu? But who?"

Kisame's question was answered by a cry of "HiJutsu, Sensatsu Suishou (Secret Skill: Flying Water Needles)!" Instantly the mist thinned slightly and hundreds of water needles shot towards Kisame before he could react.

'That's impossible, this bloodline… killed off years ago…' thought the sharkman as he fell to one knee leaning heavily on his Samehada. Haku materialized out of the mist and plunged a senbon into one of Kisame's gills, only to see him break apart into water.

'Mizu Bunshin! Kuso!' cursed the girl mentally before ducking to avoid a slice from Samehada. 'Time to put father's techniques to the test!' "Koori no Yaiba (Ice Sword)!" muttered Haku. A sword of ice formed in the dragon girl's hands which she used to block the next blow from Kisame.

A sudden blast of heat was all the warning they both mist nin had before a yell of, "Kaen Bakushin Giri (Flame Dash Slash)!" echoed through the fog and Kisame felt a burning slash hit him in the back. Naruto had recovered and decided to give his sister a hand, using Shunshin to dart past Kisame to fast to be seen and slashing the missing nin in the back with a flaming Nenshousaiga.

(0o0o0)

Meanwhile, Sasuke was warily circling Itachi. Both Uchiha had their Sharingan active and Sasuke was careful to avoid looking into Itachi's eyes so he wouldn't be caught in the Tsukuyomi. Both brothers started forming handseals and yelled the exact same jutsu at the same time, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The two fireballs shot towards one another, though Sasuke's was blasted aside by Itachi's.

Sasuke braced for impact, only to hear, "Hakke Fuu Tate (Eight Divination Seal Shield)!" as Hinata's divination field appeared in mid-air to block the fire ball. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at the Hyuuga Heiress with new respect. "I won't let my team mates down so easily," said Hinata.

"Team mates? Friends? Such things only make you weak. As I told Sasuke, only hate will give you the strength to defeat me," said Itachi.

"You're wrong Itachi! I'm fighting to protect Naruto, Hinata, and Haku-chan from you, as well as our home! And that is where a shinobi truly gets his strength!" yelled Sasuke. The Uchiha boy had used Itachi's preoccupation with Hinata to start the hand seals for Chidori and he finished just before he started speaking. The distinctive sound of a Thousand Birds filled the clearing. Sasuke charged his brother, almost too fast for Hinata to see. Itachi's arm, however, moved faster and he grabbed Sasuke's wrist, halting the younger Uchiha's movement.

"Pitiful, you need to grow stronger little brother," said Itachi.

'No, I need more power to beat him!' Sasuke yelled inside his head, His hate for his brother momentarily overcoming his desire to protect Naruto, Hinata, and Haku. This was the opening the curse seal was looking for. With a flare of evil chakra, the seal Kakashi had placed around the curse seal broke and the black marks spread across the left side of Sasuke's body. The sudden surge in chakra and power allowed Sasuke to force his hand close enough to Itachi to leave a wound in the older Uchiha's side, but not a fatal one.

"Hmm, the curse seal, it seems Orochimaru has taken an interest in you," muttered Itachi before he slammed Sasuke's fist into a poor innocent tree. The tree exploded into toothpicks, while the Chidori sputtered and died out. With a twist of his wrist, Itachi broke Sasuke's arm. The pain caused Sasuke's concentration to slip and his anger faded, as did the curse seal's boost, making him slump to the ground.

(0o0o0)

"All right Haku, let's show this guy why you shouldn't mess with the Uzumaki clan!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I agree, we are the masters of our two elements after all, plus our clans have always been stronger when working together," replied the dragon girl.

Both Genin started forming hands seals, both sets of which Kisame recognized. 'Heh, they're trying to fake me out, there's no way either of those two can do a dragon jutsu,' thought the shark man.

Kisame's thoughts were proven wrong when Naruto yelled, "Katon: Kakitsune Endan (Fire Style: Fire Fox Flame Blast)!" while Haku cried out, "Suiton: Hyouryuudan (Water Style: Ice Dragon Blast) no Jutsu!" Naruto sent a roaring fox made out of fire towards Kisame, while an ice dragon formed from the water scattered around the clearing. Both attacks seemed to move around an invisible pole so they moved in a spiral.

"Shit! Suiton: Suikoudan (Water Type: Water Shark Blast) no Jutsu!" exclaimed Kisame. A giant shark made of water formed and shot towards the two attacks. "Heh, now you brats are finished!" yelled Kisame, only to stare in shock as the fox and dragon seemed to join forces and form a spiral together. The resulting clash of temperatures caused a massive twister to form between the two attacks, making it fire, ice, and wind versus water. Kisame's shark was blown apart and the Nukenin was tossed back into the trees by Itachi.

"Are you having problems Kisame?" asked Itachi.

"No, just give me a minute and the girl will be dragon steaks and the fox's tails my new scarf," snarled Kisame. The former mist shinobi charged Naruto and Haku with Samehada raised. Both Genin braced for impact as Kisame swung down towards them, only to find the blow blocked by a giant armor wearing toad.

"You don't seem to know much about me, I'm better at getting the girls than they are at trying to get me. Even though it doesn't look like it, it's my specialty," said Jiraiya from behind Naruto and Haku. "I Jiraiya, the epitome of manliness! I will fall for no woman's feminine wiles! When you're someone like me, you'll only have to flash that sexiness to have woman fall at your feet!" The toad sennin had the pretty lady from the hotel lobby slung over his shoulder, unconscious and unharmed. Naruto, Haku, Hinata, Itachi, and Kisame all stared at Jiraiya without saying anything for a second.

"Yeah right, that girl just winked at you and you were scampering after her!" yelled an enraged Naruto. "And now you're trying to look all cool and classy Ero-Sennin!"

"Can't you stop calling me that in front of everyone?" demanded the super pervert.

"Did you forget about the two S-rank Nukenin right in front of us?" yelled Haku.

"Heh, so this is Jiraiya of the Sannin? We heard you liked beautiful women but we didn't think such a simple method could successfully stall you anyway," said Kisame.

"Using the Sharingan on this woman to draw me away, you must really want Naruto badly," said Jiraiya as he set the woman down behind a tree out of the way of combat.

"No wonder Kakashi knew about this, you were his source of information," stated Itachi. " 'To Abduct Naruto' those were the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization, Akatsuki (Red Moon)."

"Why the hell do you want me?" demanded Naruto.

"Well, it's not so much you, but what you represent," said Kisame.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he figured it out. "You're after the power of my parents, aren't you?" he demanded.

"Relax Naruto, they won't hurt your parents," said Jiraiya.

"And why is that?" asked Itachi.

"Because right now, right here, you two will die by my hand!" stated Jiraiya. Naruto shivered at the sound of the old man's voice. Jiraiya normally had a very cheerful voice that spoke of good things and drove away the gloom. Now he was as cold as a winter wind, his heart protected behind a shield of ice as he assumed the role of the Toad Sennin, not the super perverted grandfather Naruto knew so well.

"Heh, to bad I won't get to kill you myself Itachi," said Sasuke with a sick grin on his face as he glared at his brother. Itachi's eyes flickered to Sasuke's and the younger Uchiha froze as the three comma marks merged to form a three bladed shuriken.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke suddenly found himself in a world of darkness and he felt fear as a younger Itachi appeared standing above the kneeling bodies of their parents. Itachi's voice echoed throughout the area as he said, "From now on, for twenty four hours, you will relive that day," before he swung his sword down to decapitate their parents.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke screamed, a soul wrenching sound that caused all common sense to flee Haku's head. "Sasuke-kun!" she screamed before darting past Naruto and Kisame towards Itachi and Sasuke. Kisame spun around, ready to slice Haku in two, while Naruto and Hinata were both frozen in horror as Sasuke's screams echoed through their heads.

"Ninpou: Gama Guchi Shibari (Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Bind)!" yelled Jiraiya. The clearing was suddenly covered in a thick pink substance that pulled Sasuke away from Itachi and started to bind Kisame and him in place. "Too bad Itachi, Kisame, you are already inside my stomach!" stated the Toad Sennin.

"What is this?" asked Haku.

"I've summoned the esophagus of the giant toad from Myouki Mountain, Rock Inn. I hope you wanted criminals enjoy being food to Iwagama!" replied Jiraiya.

"Kisame, come!" demanded the older Uchiha. The shark man pulled his sword free of the fleshy floor and ran after Itachi, both Nukenin rapidly disappearing between the trees.

"No one sneaks away from here without my awareness!" yelled Jiraiya as he pumped chakra into the flesh floor.

As Itachi and Kisame fled, the sharkman glanced back and paled as he saw the walls of flesh closing in on them. "At this rate we'll be crushed," he said. Itachi glanced ahead, where the path terminated at a dead end.

Jiraiya's eyes suddenly widened and he raced after the fleeing duo with Naruto on his heels. Both skidded to a stop as they found a large hole blasted in the dead end with black flames burning around the edges of the hole. "What's with this fire, it sure isn't fox fire?" asked Naruto as he prepared to prod one of the tendrils of black flame with Nenshousaiga.

"Hold it Naruto, you don't want to just touch something like that!" yelled Jiraiya as he grabbed the neck of Naruto's jump suit and pulled him away from the black flames. Haku and Hinata walked up, each supporting one of Sasuke's arms.

The Uchiha boy's eyes widened and he yelled, "Don't touch that, it's Amaterasu (Divine Illumination)! That fire is the hottest known to man, you can't put it out!"

"Well, then I'll just seal it up!" exclaimed Jiraiya as he pulled a blank scroll from his supply pouch and placed it on the ground. All four Genin watched as Jiraiya wrote rapidly on the scroll, leaving a circle in the middle with four arrows pointing into it. "All right!" said the Sennin as his hands flipped through hand seals, "Seal fire highest rank!" All four Genins' eyes widened as the black flamed flowed through the air and into the circle on the scroll. The arrows disappeared, leaving the character for 'Seal' in the middle of the circle. Jiraiya tied the scroll shut with a piece of rope before stuffing the scroll into his robe. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"I'm going to need some help getting home," muttered Sasuke. The Uchiha boy was barely hanging on to consciousness, only Haku's hand on his shoulder seemed to be keeping him awake. Jiraiya stomped his foot on the ground, causing the toad esophagus to disappear.

A sudden whoosh of displaced air brought everyone's attention to a kunai quivering in a tree behind them. As Naruto, Hinata, Haku, and Jiraiya spun around, a green blur leapt towards Jiraiya with a cry of, "Dynamic Entry!"

"Gai?" asked Jiraiya, moments before his face met the bottom of the spandex clad Jounin's foot. Jiraiya went flying, barely clearing Hinata's head as he shot backwards.

"Huh?" asked Gai before he realized he had attacked the wrong target. A short time later Jiraiya was glaring at the bowl cut sporting Jounin. "Sorry for the direct attack, I was in a rush with using my Hitai-ate as a mirror and didn't mean it," said Gai as he rubbed the back of his head. "The Hitai-ate didn't give a clear enough picture and so I hit your face on accident."

"Well, since you didn't do it on purpose it's okay," stated Jiraiya before looking at Sasuke, who was peacefully sleeping with his head in Haku's lap. "Sasuke needs to get to the hospital, I'm sure his wrist needs attention and I want him to get a full psychological examination before he partakes in any more activities. We can't be sure of what effect the Tsukuyomi will have on him."

"This wouldn't have happened if I had not been here," muttered Naruto as he glanced at Sasuke's face before turning his attention to Jiraiya. "Itachi was after me and Sasuke got in the way. I swear that someday Itachi will pay for his crimes against Konoha and Sasuke!"

"Heh, I'm sure he will, but you're too weak to face him now. Be glad he's run off, his distance is the only thing keeping him from kidnapping you," said the Sennin.

"Strange, Kakashi suffered Tsukuyomi earlier today and is now lying in bed until his senses return to normal," said Gai. "Sasuke seems to be fine except for the strain on his mind and body."

"Sasuke has been training with Oka-san to strengthen his mind against Genjutsu ever since the massacre," stated Naruto in a quiet voice. Seeing everyone's attention on him he continued, "Itachi used Tsukuyomi on him then to make him relive the slaughter of the entire clan. Oka-san knows some powerful Genjutsu and the practice has allowed Sasuke to recover quickly from things like this, though Tsukuyomi is definitely the strongest Genjutsu he has faced yet."

"Such power of youth! Sasuke-kun, you are indeed a glorious example of burning passion to us all!" sobbed Gai. The Jounin's rant was halted by his tears covering his mouth and freezing into a muzzle courtesy of Haku.

"Sasuke-kun needs his rest, not power of youth!" snapped the dragon girl.

"Ne ne Jiraiya-Ojiisan, will Tsunade-Obasan be able to cure Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Most likely, she is after all the greatest medic nin Konoha has ever produced and if she can't then your mother can once we get Emi to free her," replied the toad Sennin.

"And then both Kyuubi-sama and Tsunade-sama can restore the passion of Lee's youth so the Lotus can bloom once again!" roared Gai, somehow managed to break his muzzle while the others were talking. He was promptly silenced once again by Haku stuffing a length of bandages from her medical kit into his mouth.

"By the way, how come I haven't heard of Emi-san before?" asked Hinata.

Jiraiya sighed and said, "Emi is a Tora (tiger) hanyou as well as a miko. She was also the medic for my team. Her mother was the village miko and a wonderful woman. Unfortunately, she went outside the village to gather herbs one day and a Tora youkai attacked her when she let her guard down. A Jounin returning from a mission heard her screams and killed the youkai, but not before Emi's mother had been…violated… by the monster." Jiraiya's eyes showed anger as he spoke and Naruto knew why. While the old man was a pervert, he hated rapists and child abusers, sending in requests for assassinations on any powerful people who used their position to pursue such activities. "Anyway, Emi's mother fell for the Jounin and they were married a few months later, soon after Emi's mother showed signs she was pregnant with the Tora youkai's child. Luckily Emi's mother didn't even think of aborting the child and Emi was born into the world as one of the cutest babies ever. Her father was a master of the staff, bow, and sword and taught Emi those skills, while her mother trained her in the miko ways. Emi was a lot like Naruto except she was one of the first hanyou to live in Konoha, so people didn't trust her easily. Only Ken saw past the tiger ears and tail to the lonely girl desperate for a friend. He became like a big brother to her and convinced her to join the Academy with him. When they graduated they were assigned to me with Kenta (Healthy and Stout), a young boy who was the first of his clan to become a ninja. Since he didn't have a ninja clan or any special techniques he usually went by just his first name. The three of them had excellent team work and passed the Chunnin Exam a year after they became Genin. Shortly after that we went on a mission involving missing children in a distant village. There we found the dark miko Tsubaki using the children as sacrifices to maintain her youth. We fought a long battle and defeated her, but as she lay dying she fired a death curse at Emi. Kenta pushed her out of the way and took the curse himself. Emi went crazy, she stabbed her sword into Tsubaki and blasted her purifying power into the old hag's black heart before racing over to Kenta. Unfortunately, for all Emi's skill as a miko and medic she was unable to heal Kenta and he died in her arms. We brought Kenta's body to Konoha for burial and soon after Emi took on a long term assignment as the guardian miko of a distant village. She's since traveled around to different villages after that assignment ended as a wandering miko."

"And she can free Oka-san?" demanded Naruto. When Jiraiya nodded, the fox boy leapt up and yelled, "Yosh, let's go!"

(0o0o0)

"I can't believe he thinks I'll wear this!" muttered Naruto as he stared at the green spandex suit Gai had given Hinata and him before heading back to Konoha with Sasuke asleep on his back and Haku by his side.

"It was the thought that counts Naruto-kun!" muttered Hinata as she stuffed her spandex suit deep into her back pack.

"Trust me, the suits wouldn't do squat for you two. On the other hand, I have some training planned for you Naruto. Once we reach our campsite for the evening I'll have you start working on running with the Shunshin and avoiding obstacles. Hinata, you'll continue studying that scroll of Phoenix jutsu," said Jiraiya.

"Right Jiraiya-Ojiisan! We'll come back to Konoha stronger than ever and with Emi-san and Tsunade-Obaasan!" yelled Naruto.

**Well, this chapter took less time that I thought. The next chapter should cover a little training, then the arrival in Tanzaku-Gai (The place they found Tsunade) and meeting Tsunade for sure. I'm not sure when we'll meet Emi, but it will be within the next few chapters, probably after the Sannin battle.**


	17. Tail 16: Sannin Battle

**Roar of the Dragon: Well, this chapter was done pretty quickly and I enjoyed writing it. The next one might take longer since it will have to be mostly original and not based on the manga.  
**

_Review Responses: Due to a new rule at I can no longer respond to reviews. If you are like me and dislike this idea, send me your username and e-mail address so I can place it on a petition going around to get this rule revoked. Please help!_

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

The sound of something moving very quickly and colliding with a solid object was quickly becoming familiar to Jiraiya and Hinata. Naruto was practicing using Shunshin and dodging obstacles while moving too fast for the eye to see. The problem was Naruto was moving too fast for his eyes to keep up and half the time he only saw a tree trunk right before he smashed into it. However Naruto kept getting back up and trying again. When Hinata asked Jiraiya how long it took Ken to master the Shunshin this way, the Sennin shrugged and said, "I'm not really sure, I was always too busy protecting our client or fighting to keep track of him when he was moving that fast. But I know it was some time after Emi left that I first saw him use it to catch an escaping nukenin when there were several trees in between them."

"Are you sure Otou-san didn't somehow pass through the trees?" asked Naruto as he rubbed his abused nose.

"Yeah, to do that you would have to vibrate every single atom of your body super fast. Your dad is good, but not that good. Only someone like your mother could do that since she has complete control of her form at all times," replied the toad sennin.

"That would explain how she sometimes appeared behind me when I was in a room and facing the door and didn't see her," muttered Naruto.

"Anyway, that's the only way I know to train your eyes to keep up with your speed," said Jiraiya.

"So I'm developing one aspect of the Sharingan?" asked Naruto. When Jiraiya nodded, Naruto grinned as he imagined himself with a cool Doujutsu (Eye Jutsu). The fox boy resumed his training with increased vigor, while Gishou wandered off to check on Hinata and leaving Jiraiya to enjoy the shade of his tree.

(0o0o0)

Hinata meanwhile had gone off on her own to study part of the phoenix scroll Suzaku had given her. The jutsu she was currently working on was Houyoku (Phoenix Wings), a special jutsu that would give her wings of flame capable of limited flight and a few mid-air Katon attacks. Hinata's hands formed the signs for dragon, dog, and bird before she said, "Houyoku!" and released chakra from all the Tenketsu on her back. For a split second there was a majestic pair of wings made of flame sprouting from Hinata's back before the jutsu failed and the wings disappeared. "Kuso, I almost had it!" growled Hinata, proving that she had been picking up some of Naruto's bad habits. Hinata was eager to learn this jutsu since it would greatly increase her chakra reservoir because of the huge amount of chakra used to form the wings.

"Not having any luck?" asked Gishou as he entered the clearing.

"No, I'm not sure if my chakra control is the problem or the amount of chakra I'm using," said the Hyuuga girl.

"Well, does the scroll have any hints in it?" asked the kitsune.

"No, at least none that I can see…" Hinata's voice trailed off as an idea popped into her head. "Byakugan!" exclaimed Hinata as she opened the scroll. Previously invisible words were now revealed to the Hyuuga heiress, but before she could start to read them Jiraiya walked into the clearing.

"Come on Hinata, it's lunch time and I'm treating you both to sukiyaki in the town," said the toad sennin. Hinata nodded, not looking up until she had deactivated her Byakugan and rolled the scroll up for later study. Gishou hopped into Hinata's arms and the trio walked back to the first clearing, where Naruto sat holding an ice pack to his face.

"Where does it hurt Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata as she leaned over to examine her boyfriend's face. Hinata had forgotten she had opened her jacket earlier and had yet to close it, so Naruto was treated to the sight of the tight purple undershirt she had put on that morning that did very little to conceal her body and proved that Hinata was physically more mature than her classmates.

"Ummmmm, my nose and forehead," said Naruto, thinking unsexy thoughts to keep from having a nosebleed in front of Jiraiya. Hinata pulled out a jar of her medical cream and gently rubbed it into the mentioned areas. Naruto let out a sigh of relief as the cream took effect and the pain faded away. "Thanks Hinata-chan!"

"You're welcome Naruto-kun," replied Hinata as she hugged the hanyou.

"As touching as this is, we need to get going," said Jiraiya as he grinned at the two Genin. Naruto and Hinata stood up and the group headed towards the nearby town, though Naruto kept his tails around Hinata's waist as they walked.

(0o0o0)

"This will be a break from training. Until the festival is over, we'll stay here!" said Jiraiya as he stood in the center of a large town that was currently holding a festival.

"Look Hinata-chan, there are some interesting booths!" said Naruto as he pointed to a row of booths in the middle of the town's main street. There were some games and toy booths as well as a few food stalls. "Come on Hinata, let's go! Gama-chan is getting fat and needs to lose a few pounds!" Naruto hefted his Froggy wallet which was stuffed full of coins and bills.

"Ah Naruto, let me hold onto that for you!" said Jiraiya with a grin as he grabbed the frog.

"Give me back Gama-chan you thieving Ero-Sennin!" yelled Naruto as he promptly kicked his temporary sensei in the shin. Jiraiya let out a yelp of pain and started chasing after Naruto while hopping on one foot. Jiraiya finally cornered Naruto and grabbed him by the ear.

"Now listen up Gaki! There are three sins that a shinobi is forbidden to do. You should know this! The three sins are things a shinobi must avoid and stay away from. The three vices I'll point out are Alcohol, Women, and Money," said Jiraiya as he dragged Naruto back towards Hinata and Gishou while ignoring the boy's demands to release his ear.

"Is that all? I'm not going to do anything like _that_ to Hinata-chan and neither of us is twenty years old yet so no alcohol for us! You don't need to worry about me using my savings that way!"

"You brainless idiot! Don't say something that stupid about money. You'll waste all of it right away!"

"You hypocrite, you peep on women all the time, drink sake so much you can't walk straight, and your disgusting books sell well enough that you're as rich as a minor Daimyo!" yelled Naruto as he struggled to swipe back his wallet. However Jiraiya held it out of the boy's reach and pulled out two sets of folded bills resting on the top.

"Here's three hundred ryou (I think that is the currency used in Naruto's world) each. Have fun and meet me in three hours," said Jiraiya as he gave Naruto and Hinata each three bills. "Now I want you both to stick together and not wander off. Naruto, keep my bag with you so the toads can track you." Naruto grudgingly accepted the small satchel Jiraiya wore on his shoulder and walked off with Gishou perched on his head and Hinata holding his hand. As soon as the trio was around the corner, Jiraiya opened the toad wallet to see how much money Naruto had. Jiraiya had one second to see a bunch of small worthless metal disks before smoke enveloped him.

(0o0o0)

"Ero-Sennin should be finding I switched wallets right about now," said Naruto with an evil grin.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

Naruto's reply was cut off by a yell of, "NARUTO, GET YOUR FOX TAILED BUTT BACK HERE!"

"Hehehehe, I brought out a fake Gama-chan filled with slugs and a smoke bomb covered by six hundred ryou, Ero-Sennin has stolen my money before and this was payback!" exclaimed Naruto as he led Hinata deeper into the crowd to avoid Jiraiya's eyes. Thanks to Naruto's nose, the trio avoided the angry Sennin and was able to enjoy the carnival.

Naruto grinned as Hinata used her outstanding chakra control to strengthen her scoop at a goldfish catching booth. The Hyuuga girl was getting fish after fish and the booth's owner could only stare in shock. Naruto heard some chuckles behind them and saw a few Mist nin watching and apparently aware of Hinata's trick. When Hinata had captured all the fish, the stall owner offered the Hyuuga girl a choice of prizes: a stuffed dog or the largest of the fish. Hinata chose the dog, claiming it looked like Akamaru and she would give it to Kiba as the nin dog's new friend. A chuckling Naruto led the way to the next booth, where he got to throw balls at a set of targets. Naruto's excellent aim allowed him to hit all the targets and this time the prize was a cute kitsune plushy that Naruto gallantly gave to Hinata to hold to her heart's content. The next stop was a sweet stand where they shared a tray of Takoyaki (Octopus dumplings) and laughed at the children running by dressed as ANBU. Naruto saw a fake ANBU fox mask at a mask stand and had to get it. Hinata laughed and said it would go well with his ears, since Naruto had them hidden to avoid causing a panic. The trio's last stop was a squid on a stick stand where Naruto used the last of his money to buy each of them a treat and one for Jiraiya. Naruto's ears soon picked up the perverted Sennin's distinctive laugh coming from a nearby building. His nose also caught a certain scent and he sighed before saying, "Hinata, Ero-sennin is living up to his name, you might not want to come in here with me."

Hinata just shrugged and followed Naruto into the building, where Jiraiya was sitting on a couch with a scantily clad woman on each side of him and a saucer of sake on his hand. "Oh, Naruto, Hinata! How'd it go at the festival?" asked the drunken man.

Naruto shook his head and said, "We'll see you later Ero-Sennin, look for us at the Laughing Fox inn," before turning to leave. On his way out, Naruto bumped into a dark haired man in a suit outside the building. Unfortunately, the squid on a stick meant for Jiraiya was still in Naruto's hand and left a large stain on the man's suit.

The man's companion, a bald man, yelled, "Look what you did! What are you going to do about this you stupid brat?"

"Hehehe, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," said Naruto as he rubbed his head.

"What did you say you little brat?" roared the man, causing Naruto's hair to bend over and making the hanyou boy wish the man had taken a breath mint. "You had better not mess with us for your sake! Akoki is a former Chunnin from Hidden Stone! He's a legendary Yami-nin and someone to be afraid of and incredibly skilled Ninja!"

"Pfft, my dad could take him in a second," said Naruto with a smirk, causing Jiraiya and Hinata to sigh.

"Little brat, I'll show you what pain really is!" roared Akoki as he charged towards Naruto.

Naruto vanished in a flash and Akoki went flying as the boy's voice said, "Furasshu Ashige (Flash Kick)!" before Naruto reappeared with his leg raised from the kick he'd preformed at Shunshin speed.

Akoki's companion hissed, "Yellow Flash!" before pulling a kunai and leaping at Naruto's back.

Hinata intercepted the man and with a blast of chakra sent him crashing into the wall. "This was a simple quarrel and our villages are currently at peace. However if you persist in attacking us we will retaliate to defend ourselves," said the girl with all the Hyuuga superiority she could muster.

"Indeed, my father the Hokage would be quite upset if you were to break the treaty between our villages," said Naruto. "You attacked us over a minor matter, thus making you two the responsible parties." Both Stone Nin scowled but picked themselves up and ran off while casting dark looks at the Konoha Nin. Naruto sighed in relief; he had gotten lucky with the Shunshin since the man was moving and might have changed his direction if the flash hadn't surprised him. Naruto knew he could possibly handle a low level Chunnin from most villages, but Stone ninja hated his father and by association him and would have fought even harder than normal.

"Good job you two, you handled that nicely," said Jiraiya. The Sennin stood up and pulled on his back pack before walking out the door as he said, "Let's go, it's time to train!

(0o0o0)

The next few days were spent with Naruto and Hinata training while Jiraiya asked around town to find out where Tsunade was headed next. The Sennin finally got a lead three days later and the group set off to a Castle Town nearby. Here Jiraiya got lucky at his first stop, a small gambling house.

"Ah, I know this sis, she was saying she's going to get back her loss over 'there'" said a gambler.

"Oh, where is there?" asked Jiraiya. Instead of answering, the man took two dice and threw them into a dice cup before slamming it onto the table in front of his seat.

"We can't just sell you info for free you see? Let's gamble for it. You add up the faces of two die. If you get even that's 'Cho' if you get odd that's 'Han'. If you win I'll talk. If you lose you must pay up a thousand ryou," said the gambler.

"Alright," said the Toad Sennin with a grin.

"Pick for Cho or Han," said the man.

Jiraiya was about to speak before he felt a small surge of chakra from Hinata. Pretending to scratch his neck, he turned his head and detected a Genjutsu around her eyes as she mouthed the word, "Han." With a sigh of relief for getting his 'itch', Jiraiya turned back to the gambler and said, "Han." The gambler removed the cup to reveal a two and a five as the face up values. 'Nice going Hinata!' thought Jiraiya as the gambler spilled all he knew.

The next stop was a slot machine house. Naruto found a coin on the ground and put it in a machine for fun. The blond walked out of the establishment with a new fox wallet filled with coins. "Kitsune-chan looks so cute full of coins!" exclaimed the boy with a grin at Hinata. The Hyuuga girl giggled and wondered at Naruto's luck with the machine.

"Tsunade must be around here somewhere, I guess I'll get up to the castle and check from there," said Jiraiya as he pulled his telescope from his robes. "Come on you two, we're heading to the castle!"

Naruto and Hinata eagerly followed Jiraiya, but suddenly stopped when Hinata noticed something. "Umm, Jiraiya-sama? Where's the castle?" Jiraiya looked up at the city skyline and saw Hinata was right, the castle had been reduced to ruins. The ninja jumped up onto a nearby wall to get a better view of the situation.

"What happened here?" asked Naruto while Gishou sniffed the air for clues and Hinata used her Byakugan to examine the area. A man suddenly ran by on the street below the trio.

"Oi, what the hell happened here?" demanded Jiraiya.

"You had better run away like me, there's a demon beast up there!" exclaimed the man.

"What kind of demon?" asked Naruto.

"A huge snake, it toppled the building instantly!" replied the man.

"Orochimaru!" hissed Naruto before he leapt towards the castle with Hinata and Jiraiya yelling for him to stop. The trio landed in a street near the castle ruins that had a large section of the walls lining it demolished.

"Did the snake do this?" asked Hinata as she surveyed the damage. Naruto was down on all fours to get a clearer scent of the situation and the growls coming from him showed Orochimaru was definitely there.

"Damn, we're too late. That's the work of Tsunade's fist, and I know what that looks like," muttered Jiraiya. "Oi, Naruto, you got Tsunade's scent yet?" Naruto nodded and took off down the street. The fox boy led his companions to a nice restaurant where they found two women, one blond and the other brown haired, and a pet pig sharing a table.

"Tsunade-Oba-chan!" yelled Naruto as he caught sight of the blond woman. The woman looked up after downing a gulp of sake and her sad face broke out into a big grin.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" she asked as Naruto hopped into her arms for a hug.

"I believe I can answer that," said Jiraiya with a grin.

"Oh, you're here to? What about Ken-san and Kyuubi-san?" asked Tsunade.

"That's part of why we're here Tsunade-sama," said Hinata as she bowed to the woman.

"Hinata is here too? Something tells me I won't like this," said Tsunade.

(0o0o0)

"And that's what happened Tsunade-Oba-chan! We need you back at Konoha in case Otou-san is unable to resume being Hokage and take the role of Godaime!" exclaimed Naruto. The group had just spent an hour telling Tsunade and Shizune the story of the battle for Konoha.

"Damn, I was hoping that bastard was lying about killing Sarutobi-sensei," growled Tsunade.

"So he was here," said Naruto with a growl.

"Yes, and he asked me to heal his arms. He said if I did that he would revive Dan and Nawaki," stated the Slug Sennin with tears in her eyes.

"While Orochimaru has learned how to raise the dead, he takes away their free will and binds them to his service. He resurrected your grandfather the Shodaime and his brother the Nidaime to kill Sarutobi-sensei. Sensei used the **Fuuin Jutsu; Shiki Fuujin **(Enchantment Spell; Dead Demon Imprisonment) to seal their souls into his Kage Bunshins before sealing Orochimaru's arms inside himself," said Jiraiya.

"There's no way I could face Dan or Nawaki if I helped the man that wants to destroy the village they loved just to see them again! Luckily he gave me a week to think about my decision. If we prepare now, we can catch him and end a major threat to Konoha," said the blonde. The brown haired woman, Tsunade's apprentice Shizune, breathed a sigh of relief at this statement. She had been afraid her mentor would give in to the urge to see her dead lover, Dan, and little brother Nawaki alive again.

"Did Orochimaru have anyone with him?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, a silver haired man with glasses accompanied him, I heard Orochimaru call him Kabuto," said Shizune.

"Damn, I thought something smelt funny about Kabuto-san, no wonder I smelled snake on him, he's working for Orochimaru!" exclaimed the fox boy as he slammed his fist into the table. "I swear that when we fight he won't be walking away from the battle!"

"Hehehehehe, some words for a Genin, since my impression of Kabuto is at least Jounin level," said Tsunade with an evil grin.

"Tsunade-Oba-chan, you know that I don't take back my word, that's my nindo (Way of the Ninja)!" said the blond as he stared at his grandmother figure.

"I know, that's why I promise to give you this necklace and accept the title of Godaime if you can even manage to land a good solid blow on Kabuto," said Tsunade as she lifted the necklace that she always wore.

"Are you sure about that Oba-chan? That's your grandfather's necklace, it's worth enough to buy three mountains!" said Naruto in shock.

"I'm sure. I know how determined you can be. I also remember telling you to always hold back a little when fighting humans. No matter how much training they have, only a Jounin level ninja would be able to withstand your full power if you hit them. You've always held back so you don't kill your comrades. While you can't produce the same results I can with a single blow, your strength is impressive. Hit Kabuto with that when his guard is down and you'll at least break a rib," said the blond Kunoichi.

"So I have to cause the traitor some pain? You have a deal Oba-chan!" exclaimed Naruto.

(0o0o0)

The next few days were spent training as hard as possible for the upcoming fight. Naruto seemed to be spending equal amounts of time perfecting the Shunshin no Jutsu and practicing his Kenjutsu with Nenshousaiga. The few times the older shinobi checked on him when he was practicing with the sword they found him in a Battojutsu stance. Since Battojutsu is pressing the blade's edge against the sheath then drawing the sword quickly to increase the speed of the sword's swing by two to three times normal speed, Naruto's friends assumed he was practicing one of the techniques his father had taught him. Hinata meanwhile was soaking up bits of medical jutsu from Tsunade and Shizune like a sponge, impressing both women with her rapid grasp of how each jutsu worked and her excellent control. However even with the legendary medic nin's help Hinata was still unable to use the Houyoku on the day of Orochimaru's second meeting with Tsunade.

(0o0o0)

The day of the meeting found Tsunade and Shizune waiting by the partly demolished wall where they had first met Orochimaru and Kabuto. Said duo were walking towards the two kunoichi calmly, Tsunade stepped forward to meet her former team mate. "So have you reached a decision Tsunade?" asked Orochimaru.

"I have. I can restore the soul of your arms to you," said Tsunade, much to Shizune's surprise.

"Tsunade-sama, you can't!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up Shizune!" whispered Tsunade before jabbing her elbow into her apprentice's gut. Shizune collapsed to the ground holding her chest.

"Kukuku, I'm glad we could reach an agreement," said the Snake Sennin as he raised his shaking arms. Tsunade gathered chakra between her hands in a green orb. Tsunade reached forward, but before the orb could touch Orochimaru's hands both Sennin leapt backwards to avoid a kunai that landed between them. Both Sannin stared at Kabuto as he landed behind Orochimaru after leaping up to throw the kunai. "What is it… to come this far… and betray me… Tsunade? How could you come to an answer like this Tsunade-hime? To try to kill me?" demanded Orochimaru. Tsunade simply glared at Orochimaru, not answering him. "But you Kabuto, I trust from the bottom of my heart. Your ability to see Tsunade's attack…"

"Yes, we both began from the medical field, so when her chakra was filled with intent to kill…." Replied the glasses wearing nin.

Orochimaru sighed before saying, "Tsunade I truly intended to revive those two and I even promised not to destroy Konoha."

"Heh, you think I didn't see through your lies? You would not stop trying to destroy Konoha if I helped you and then all those people's deaths would be on my hands," said Tsunade. Her head fell slightly, her blond hair obscuring her eyes. "I knew that, but Dan and Nawaki… just one more time I'd wanted to see them, hold them, watch their smiling faces… but I'll really be able to see Nawaki and Dan again some day. And I realized what a fool I was. Neither one would want to look at me after I betrayed Konoha. Their spirits live on today in that brat, whose spirit has the power to inspire his comrades and turn his foes into allies. Their dream is his dream. My feelings for them will never die, but I'm moving on and living my life like Dan and Nawaki wanted."

"So the deal is off…. No choice then, we'll have to force you to heal my arms," said Orochimaru.

Tsunade wiped her eyes and looked up, leveling a glare at the black haired man. The kunoichi suddenly leapt into the air and brought her heel down on the place formerly occupied by Orochimaru, causing a massive crater and wrecking most of the street.

"Let's do it Kabuto, I told you, this medicine would be bitter!" exclaimed the snake Sennin as he landed on a nearby wall with Kabuto.

"Come and face your death Orochimaru!" growled Tsunade.

"Kukukukukukuku, now that I think about it… I realize I never fought against you before," said Orochimaru.

Tsunade tossed off her jacket as she charged towards the two Sound nin. "That's true… I guess I'll get to see how you stand up to one of my punches."

"I wonder how you can say that… when _I'm_ the one having to fight her now…" muttered Kabuto.

"Actually, you're fighting us!" said a voice behind Kabuto before a kick sent him off the wall. The silver haired ninja managed to overcome his surprise and flip as he landed, only to find Hinata's palm coming at him. Kabuto ducked and then leapt over Hinata's sweeping kick, only to barely twist aside from Naruto's mid air attack. "You bastard, you're going to pay for betraying Konoha!" growled Naruto as his fist slammed into the ground.

Kabuto glanced to where Orochimaru was facing off with Tsunade and Jiraiya before saying, "This place is too crowded for a fight, let's take it somewhere else!" Orochimaru nodded and the two leapt away. Shizune cursed as she came to in time to see the two escaping.

"You won't escape!" exclaimed Tsunade as the Konoha group pursued the two traitors.

(0o0o0)

A short while later, everyone faced off in a wide plain with many large boulders scattered around. Naruto, Hinata, and Shizune were facing off against Kabuto, while the Sannin were in a tense stare off waiting for one side to make the first move.

Kabuto pulled out a Hyourougan (Soldier Pill) for a quick chakra boost before pulling four scrolls from his supply pouch, each a different color. The Konoha trio stared at the red, blue, green, and yellow scrolls in confusion, but Naruto could easily smell the chakra emitted from each one and grabbed Nenshousaiga's hilt. "Be careful," said the hanyou boy, "Those scrolls are powerful." Kabuto unsealed and tossed all four scrolls into the air and they landed on the ground to roll open and reveal a different set of characters for each scroll. Each scroll had the symbol of an element followed by the kanji for person. The red scroll had the kanji for fire, blue had water, green earth, and yellow wind. Naruto started cursing as he recognized the other symbols surrounding the central ones. "Summoning scrolls!" All four scrolls were covered in smoke and when the smoke disappeared the Konoha trio faced four frightening foes.

"We couldn't use these during the fight at Konoha since that Bitch Kyuubi could have sent then back to their home plane with a flick of her tails, but now these elementals will destroy you!" said Kabuto. The odds sure looked like he was right, each elemental was high level and strong looking, especially the earth one. Each elemental was roughly human shaped but had no features such as hair or a face.

"You take that back you bastard, my mom is a Vixen, not a bitch!" roared Naruto before he leapt forward intending to smash Kabuto's head into the ground. However the earth elemental intercepted Naruto with a swing of its mighty fist and sent him crashing to the ground. Hinata ran towards her boyfriend, only to be intercepted by the water elemental.

"Shizune-san, you take care of the traitor, we'll handle these creatures!" said Hinata as she activated her Byakugan and dropped into the Jyuuken stance. The fist of the earth elemental was suddenly forced upwards as Naruto called upon his full hanyou strength and overpowered the elemental.

"You heard her Shizune-nee-chan, we'll handle these guys!" said Naruto with a grin as he leapt away from the earth elemental. Shizune nodded and pulled out a kunai before dashing towards Kabuto, who formed Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel) on both of his hands. Unlike Hinata and Kyuubi, who could make an elegant green blade around their hands, Kabuto's was more like a glove. The two medical nin started fighting, leaving Naruto and Hinata free to focus on the elementals. "Hinata-chan, I'll take rocks for brains here and flame head, you handle water works and light breeze," said Naruto as he gripped Nenshousaiga. Hinata nodded and Naruto settled into his fox stance. "All right, who's first?" he asked. Being slower, the earth elemental let its fiery brother go ahead. Naruto simply grinned and gathered chakra into the palm of his hand.

Hinata was slightly worried. While her Jyuuken might have been able to disrupt any of the elementals, the water and wind elementals would be able to bend out of the way easily given the liquid quality of their elements. 'Looks like the Tenken (Heavenly Fist) is my best bet,' thought the pale eyed girl. The air elemental moved to attack first, rushing at Hinata with the speed of the wind. "Tenken!" yelled Hinata as she fired off a chakra fist that blasted into the wind elemental and tossed it backwards. The water elemental surged forward, only to be met with the Hyuuga ultimate defense. "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" roared Hinata as she leapt right beside the elemental before spinning, which resulted in water elemental scattered across the area.

"Heh, I don't know what Kabuto was thinking, using a fire elemental against me," said Naruto with a smirk as a Rasengan formed in his palm. The kitsune boy slammed the chakra sphere into the fire elemental, which strained against the attack for a moment before being tossed backwards and almost slamming into Kabuto as he attempted to stab his Chakra Enjintou into Shizune's back. Naruto then used this opportunity to form another Rasengan and dash towards the earth elemental. The stone construct slammed a fist towards Naruto, only to find out the hard way that Rasengan beats rock any day as its arm was shredded. The elemental's primitive consciousness quickly converted its entire body into iron to prevent a similar fate to the rest of it. "Oooh, metal! I have just the trick for you!" exclaimed Naruto as he easily hopped onto the elemental's shoulder while grabbing Nenshousaiga's hilt and drawing the sword. "Zantetsu (Metal Slash)!" roared Naruto. Nenshousaiga's blade started glowing bright blue as Naruto pumped his chakra into the blade. Naruto then swung Nenshousaiga in an arc that decapitated the elemental and sliced off its remaining arm. The legs were last, leaving Naruto facing a pile of scrap metal. "Pathetic, you weren't even fun," whined the boy before leaping up to avoid the fire elemental as it hurled a large fire ball at him and melted the metal scraps.

Hinata grimaced as nothing she used seemed to hurt the wind elemental. Her Tenken just knocked it back while the Kaiten disrupted it slightly. Glancing up Hinata saw Naruto was having similar trouble with the fire elemental. His fox fire couldn't hurt it and it could hurt him if it hit bare skin. "Naruto-kun, switch with me!" exclaimed Hinata as she ducked under the wind elemental's razor sharp wind attack. Naruto nodded and appeared by Hinata's side in a flash with a Rasengan in his hand.

"Thanks Hinata, I think I've got this guy, you play with sparky over there." Hinata nodded and charged towards her new opponent. The wind elemental tried to get around Naruto and trap Hinata between the fire elemental but the fox boy was too quick for it. The elemental could sense the rapidly spinning air and chakra inside the Rasengan and knew that if the chakra sphere hit it the elemental would be scattered across the area like the water elemental was. "Time's up!" said Naruto as he thrust the Rasengan into the core of the elemental before yanking his hand out with a yell of "Rasengan Setsudanki (Cutter)!" and leaping far away. The wind elemental had a moment to curse the boy before the Rasengan unraveled and it was ripped apart by the chakra whips from the inside.

"Your friend is going to be very useful in beating you," said Hinata as she gathered all the scattered water from the water elemental she had destroyed earlier and combined it with her chakra. "Suiton: Mizu-gan (Water gun) no Jutsu!" said Hinata as she raised her hands to shoot a stream of water at the fire elemental. The creature fell quickly to the assault, though it threw a last fire ball before it was put out that burned Hinata's right arm. "You alright Naruto-kun?" she asked as she gathered her chakra to her hands to treat the burn and the few cuts she had suffered from the wind elemental's cutting wind.

"Yep, not let's go help Shizune-nee-chan!" said Naruto as he looked towards Shizune's battle with Kabuto.

(0o0o0)

Shizune cursed as she quickly realized she was outclassed and Kabuto was merely keeping her from helping Naruto and Hinata or the two Sannin against Orochimaru. Shizune quickly tried to even the odds and with a mental yell of 'Doku Gasu (Poison Gas)!' she expelled a large cloud of thick poison gas to blind Kabuto, who leapt backwards to avoid the poison. Shizune then used her wrist mounted launcher to shoot five Fukibara (Small, two inch version of senbon that are often poisoned) into the cloud. However Kabuto wasn't there any more and Shizune barely managed to avoid his hands as he tried to use a Doton (Earth) jutsu combined with his Chakra Enjintou to slice the tendons in her legs. Shizune countered with a few hand seals and with a cry of "Katon: Housenka (Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower) and sent a rain of fire balls at Kabuto. When Kabuto reappeared from using a Kawarimi to avoid the attack, his hands were surrounded by a blue glow. He managed to grab Shizune's wrist and she gasped as she felt her chakra being sucked out of her body.

"Heh, Chakra Kyuushuu (Chakra Absorption), I'll take all your chakra!" sneered Kabuto. However his feast of chakra was interrupted by a kunai that almost cut his nose. Hinata leapt in and grabbed Shizune before leaping clear to treat the older woman while Naruto landed in between the two of them and Kabuto. "Ah Naruto-kun, I have concluded something from your data. While you have some potential, you have no where near as much as Sasuke-kun." Naruto glared at the traitor in front of him, causing Kabuto to chuckle. "Even if you make such a scary face, you are nothing more than an out of place Genin. You rely on your demon blood and with the Sannin in front of me you are worthless. You are a small bug to me, try something and I'll kill you!" Before anyone else could say anything, Tsunade landed near Shizune covered in blood and shaking.

"Tsunade-sama!" gasped Shizune as she ran to her master's side with Hinata. Kabuto leapt back to rejoin Orochimaru while Jiraiya landed by Naruto. Apparently the snake Sennin had sliced his own arm to spray Tsunade with blood and stop her from fighting.

"You're bleeding pretty badly Kabuto," muttered Orochimaru.

Kabuto nodded before saying, "Please remove the left bandage Orochimaru-sama." Orochimaru did so, revealing his tattoo for summoning members of the snake clan.

"Listen up Hinata, you're going to protect Tsunade and her pig. Shizune, you take four eyes. Naruto, help Shizune. I'll take care of Orochimaru," said Jiraiya.

"Gishou, stay by Hinata-chan!" exclaimed Naruto as the little kitsune peered out from behind a boulder. Gishou nodded and hurried over to Hinata's side.

Jiraiya bit his thumb before swiping the blood over his palm and slamming it into the ground with a cry of "Kuchiyose (Summoning) no Jutsu!" at the same time Kabuto swiped his own blood over Orochimaru's snake summoning tattoo. Large clouds of smoke obscured the battle field and when the cleared Naruto frowned to see Jiraiya on top of a large toad facing down Orochimaru and Kabuto, each on their own snakes.

Naruto bit his thumb and formed hand seals before slamming his own hands onto the ground with a cry of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" intending to summon two medium sized toads to carry Hinata and Tsunade to safety. However what he got were two little toads. "Gama Kichi, Gama Tatsu, what the hell are you two doing here?" he demanded of the toad brothers.

"We were bored so we decided to come out to play," said Gama Kichi. Naruto stared muttering many curses that Kyuubi would have had a fit if she heard.

"I'll take Jiraiya, the rest are yours," said Orochimaru as both of the giant snakes dived towards the Konoha ninja. Kabuto leapt to his own snake and both giant reptiles slammed into the ground tossing up debris everywhere. Shizune and Hinata leapt clear with Tsunade, only to find Kabuto in their face. He back handed Hinata away before formingChakra Enjintou again.

Naruto scowled from his leapt out of the debris cloud with the little toad brothers on his shoulders and saw Kabuto hit Hinata. Then Kabuto's snake burst out of the cloud with its mouth wide open. "I don't have time for you!" yelled Naruto. "Shiden (Sword Flash)!" Naruto grabbed Nenshousaiga's hilt and rapidly unsheathed the blade while swinging at the snake, producing an arc of yellow energy that knocked the snake backwards. "Kaen-Giri!" roared Naruto as he sent the fire wave into the snake's eyes. Now blind, the giant reptile was forced to sniff out Naruto with its tongue. Fox fire gathered around Naruto's hand as he yelled, "Kasei Tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" and slashed the tongue to pieces with his claws before leaping away. Naruto gasped as he saw Shizune collapse down on the ground with her tendons severed by Kabuto's Chakra Enjintou and Hinata struggling to stand up. The fox boy disappeared in a flash of light.

(0o0o0)

Kabuto smirked as he tossed more blood onto Tsunade. "How pathetic. The legendary medic nin petrified at the sight of blood. Tsunade could only stare at Hinata and Shizune in panic, images of her dead lover and brother flashing before her eyes. Kabuto prepared to slam his fist into Tsunade's head. As the blow came closer, Hinata frantically managed to hurl herself into the path of the blow to serve as a human shield. However, before the blow could land on the blocking girl, Naruto appeared before her in a flash of light and took the hit on his Hitai-ate. Naruto glared at Kabuto; causing the silver haired medic nin to wonder is his evaluation of Naruto might have been wrong.

"I'm ending this now!" snarled Naruto as the Rasengan formed in his hand. The blond thrust the chakra sphere at Kabuto, only to see the glasses wearing nin duck under the attack. 'Kuso, I can't hit him!' Kabuto then jabbed Naruto in the back with his Chakra Enjintou, which Naruto winced at but didn't falter as he recovered from his missed attack.

'So he's mastered the Rasengan beyond what he showed during his match with Gaara,' thought Kabuto. 'But he'll never hit me with that obvious lunge…' Naruto seemed to have figured out the same thing and assumed a Battojutsu stance in front of Tsunade and Hinata. "Now now Naruto-kun, if you want to grow up and become Hokage you would be better off running away." Naruto didn't reply except to glare at Kabuto. "No, no, no, what's with those eyes? That'll get you killed! If you die here then you'll never attain your dreams or anything else."

Tsunade was startled out of her shock by those words, as memories of Dan and Nawaki rushed through her head. The slug Sennin clutched the necklace she had given both of them before their deaths. 'Can I actually give this to him and condemn him to death?' she thought.

Hinata meanwhile was staring at Naruto's feet. Hinata had seen Naruto in his Battojutsu stance several times but this one was different. Normally the stance put the right leg forward to avoid the user slashing himself as he drew his sword. Naruto's current stance had the left leg forward. 'What kind of technique is this?' wondered the pale eyed girl.

"Are you sure you can kill me?" asked Naruto as his head lowered slightly so his eyes couldn't be seen by Kabuto. "Even if I'm scared I won't run away. I'll die upright, defending my precious people. That is my Nindo!"

"For my sake Naruto, stop it!" yelled Tsunade as a kunai appeared in Kabuto's hand.

Kabuto charged at Naruto with a cry of, "For that insolence, I'll give you death!" preparing to skewer Naruto.

Hinata frantically tried to pull Tsunade up so they could escape, but her strength had been drained by fighting the elementals and helping Tsunade and Shizune. "Naruto-kun!"

Naruto's head snapped up and he ran forward towards Kabuto. "Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!" Kabuto's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's eyes had changed. They were still the same bright blue as before, but the pupil of each eye had turned into a spiral. "Amatsu Kitsune Ryu ougi Amatsu Enokorogusa Atemi (Heavenly Fox School Succession technique: Heavenly Fox Tail Strike)!" roared Naruto as he took one last step and unsheathed Nenshousaiga in a blinding arc of red chakra. Kabuto gasped and brought his kunai up to block, only to see it sliced cleanly in two and feel Naruto's sword blade cut into his side. Naruto followed through with the force of the blow and sent Kabuto flying into the air.

(0o0o0)

In the spirit world, Kyuubi and Ken were watching a large screen TV that focused on Naruto's battle. "I didn't teach him that move, where did he learn it?" asked Ken after seeing Naruto's attack hit.

"From me. My sword style is based off the ancient Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style. I changed the names of some of the moves and improved on others to combine them with fox fire and tails. That last one is the succession technique. It involves stepping into the thin zone between life and death. This can't be done while looking backwards towards life or forwards towards death. I had taught Naruto the basics, but I had no idea he had progressed enough to use the move," said Kyuubi. (AN: I got a lot of Naruto's sword techniques from Rurouni Kenshin. Why? Because they're so cool!)

"So did he kill Kabuto?" asked Ken.

"No, Naruto isn't strong enough to use the move to kill yet. However I'm pretty sure he busted the traitor's ribs at the very least," said Kyuubi before she snuggled up to her mate. "Now, what happened to our kit's eyes?"

"That is the Uzumaki Doujutsu, Issokugan (Fast Runner Eye). It is mainly used to allow the user to see clearly while running at Shunshin speed, but it also allows the user to see fast moving objects and people clearly. However unlike the Sharingan, the Issokugan does not predict the future moves of an opponent, only showing what is happening in real time."

"Interesting. I guess stepping between life and death allowed him to activate it, we're going to have to step up his training when he gets home and we've recovered," remarked Kyuubi.

(0o0o0)

Naruto was panting as he sheathed Nenshousaiga. The move was extremely taxing to his strength and he had put most of it into the blow. Naruto collapsed back into Tsunade and Hinata's arms. However, movement from Kabuto's landing spot caught their attention and they looked on in horror as Kabuto stood up. "Impossible, you took that attack full force, you shouldn't even be standing!" gasped Naruto.

"I collected chakra in my abdomen before the attack hit and began recovering immediately. I'm the one who saved Orochimaru's life, it is nonsense to try to kill me with that technique, and my resilience is overwhelming. An ability that allows me to activate all of my cells, thus creating new cells with which to replace my damaged ones. That technique was Naruto-kun's last gamble, now I'll finish him off," said the silver haired medic Nin. However, before he could move closer to his targets, blood gushed out of Kabuto's mouth and he fell to his knees. 'Impossible, my healing ability, combined with this level of damage, my chakra won't be sufficient.'

Tsunade meanwhile was examining Naruto and was horrified to see his heart beat was getting weaker. 'Shit the muscles of his heart are worn out, his heart beat has become erratic. The strain of that Amatsu Enokorogusa Atemi must have aggravated the damage done by Kabuto,' she thought.

"It's no use trying to save him," muttered Kabuto. "The chakra in his heart muscles has been sapped, the blood flow to his heart has been cut off, and I've cut off any potential for him to recover on his own!"

"Shut up!" snarled Tsunade. Medical chakra gathered around her hands as she held them over Naruto's heart. 'Please, let me save him!' she prayed to all the gods that might be listening. For a moment it looked like she had succeeded as Naruto's eyes opened and he reached up to grab her necklace.

"The bet… I won…" whispered Naruto so softly Tsunade could barely hear him before his eyes closed and she was terrified to find his heart beat fading again.

"No Naruto, you can't die!" exclaimed Tsunade. "I've already lost Dan and Nawaki, whose spirits live on in you! I won't let you fade away and leave your dreams unfulfilled!"

"Let me try Tsunade-sama," whispered Hinata as she kneeled down facing Tsunade and took a deep breath before picturing the hidden words on the phoenix scroll. 'Reach deep into my heart, find the ember waiting for me to turn it into a blazing fire, let my love for Naruto-kun fuel it, and make it IGNITE!' With a flare of chakra from her back, Hinata finally managed to activate the Houyoku. Wings of flame blossomed from her back and she felt a rush of energy flowing through her. "Zenyu Houyoku (Complete Healing Phoenix Wings)!" said Hinata before she wrapped the wings around herself and Naruto, forming a wall of feathers that obscured them from view. Everyone stared in shock as a bright white light shone through the feathers. Then the wings moved away to reveal Hinata with her lips pressed to Naruto's as the healing energy left him and his eyes opened.

"Damn it Naruto, I thought you were dead and beyond my power to heal, don't ever frighten me like that again!" yelled Tsunade before she grabbed both Genin in a hug. Tsunade then unfastened her necklace and placed it on Naruto. "You won this fair and square, wear it proudly in memory of my brother and Dan."

(0o0o0)

Up on Orochimaru's snake, Jiraiya and the snake Sennin were at an impasse. Jiraiya had trapped the snake in a large swamp with his jutsu, while the snake managed to inject a lethal amount of poison into the toad and force it to return to its home dimension to heal. "Impressive for such a young boy," muttered the snake eyed man.

"Hey, your attention should be on me!" said Jiraiya, hiding his relief at seeing Naruto and Hinata were okay.

'If that kid crosses paths with Akatsuki he might become a hassle. Looks like I have to kill him now, plus the girl is getting more powerful that I like' thought Orochimaru before he leapt towards the huddled trio. Jiraiya cursed and jumped after his opponent, only to have Orochimaru's impossibly long tongue stretch out and grab him by the ankle before it slammed him into the ground. The snake Sennin used his tongue to toss himself into the air and towards his enemies. Orochimaru's sword rose out of the mouth of the small snake summoned into his mouth as he aimed to skewer Naruto and Hinata.

Tsunade's eyes widened in horror as she spun around and saw Orochimaru plunging towards Hinata's unprotected back. With a lunge she took the blow meant for the two Genin right between her breasts. The slug Sennin coughed up blood as Hinata screamed in horror. "Tsunade… I wasn't trying to kill you. If those brats survive they'll cause me a great deal of trouble later on. Don't get in my way," said Orochimaru.

"No, I'm going to protect them no matter what," replied the blond kunoichi.

Orochimaru stood up and retracted his tongue back into his mouth before saying, "Hmph, trembling at the sight of blood. Why of all the shinobi Tsunade … one of the legendary Sannin from Konoha, why are you risking your life to protect these brats?"

"To protect Konoha!" gasped Tsunade.

"To protect Konoha?" echoed the snake summoner.

"You want to know why? It's because this boy is the Rokudaime of Konoha," replied Tsunade.

"Fufu, what are you babbling about? Hokage is worthless, only fools would want it," laughed Orochimaru.

"That's not true! All of our previous Hokage bet their lives on that dream of achieving peace in the chaotic world and bringing prosperity to the village! From now on, I too shall bet my life!" exclaimed the slug summoner.

Orochimaru's sword once again emerged from his mouth. "Feh, if you're going to throw away your life for worthless brats like them, then die like the worthless trash you're protecting!" roared the snake Sennin before he swung the sword with his head and left a large wound on Tsunade's shoulder. Shizune and Jiraiya regained consciousness just in time to see Tsunade fall to the ground. "As for you two," said Orochimaru as he advanced on Naruto and Hinata, both still recovering from their last massive chakra drains and unable to move. Orochimaru swung his sword to decapitate both teens, only to have Tsunade throw herself in the blade's path again.

"Didn't I tell you? I said I would bet my life!" exclaimed the gambler.

"You worthless trash!" yelled Orochimaru as he kicked the kunoichi away. Tsunade's eyes fell on the blood surrounding her and her hands started trembling again. Suddenly they stopped and Orochimaru had a moment to panic before Tsunade's fist smashed into his chin and sent him flying. 'Impossible, she overcame her fear?' he thought.

"Why am I doing this? Because now, I am the Godaime Hokage of Konoha!" exclaimed Tsunade. Black lines flowed from the small diamond seal on the kunoichi's forehead, forming an interesting mask.

'Tsunade-sama overcame her phobia! But that jutsu is…' thought Shizune as she stumbled to her feet. "Wait Tsunade-sama, I'll heal your wounds! Please don't open that seal!"

'Seal Release! Ninpou: Souzousaisei (Ninja Art: Genesis Rebirth)!' Tsunade's mind echoed with her cry. Everyone watching gasped as the deadly wounds Tsunade had taken from Orochimaru's sword mended before their eyes.

"Fufufu, seems like I'm not the only one developing new jutsu, care to tell me what that is?" asked Orochimaru.

"I've been gathering my chakra to the seal on my forehead for quite some time, I used that chakra to stimulate production of various enzymes that accelerated cell duplication rate for rapid reformation," explained Tsunade as she used her thumb to wipe up some of the blood around her mouth. "I can reconstruct any damaged parts of my body. It's not just a simple healing technique, it is regeneration." Tsunade spread her gathered blood along the back of her hand as she finished her explanation with, "In other words, I'll never die in battle, ever!"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru's eyes widened as the realized Tsunade's intent. Jiraiya hastily swiped blood on his palm while Kabuto repeated the swiping of the blood on Orochimaru's tattoo. All the three slammed their hands into the ground with a yell of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" that was echoed from a fourth voice.

When the massive clouds of smoke cleared, four giant animals faced one another. Kyu and Gamabunta had been joined by Katsuyu the boss slug while across from them was Manda the king of the snakes. "Oi Naruto, didn't get to see you last time I was at the village. Are my two brats around?" asked the boss toad.

"They're down by Shizune-Nee-chan, Boss. But I don't think we should be joking around! We're going to defeat Orochimaru here and now!" yelled Naruto. One of Kyu's tails gently picked up the exhausted Hinata and placed her by Shizune.

"Hey Orochimaru, what are you smoking, summoning me here in this lame excuse for land? You want me to eat your sorry ass?" demanded Manda.

"Please Manda-sama, we'll thank you generously later on…" Kabuto started to say, only to be cut off by the large Anaconda.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Keep your dirty gas bags shut, stupid brat!" snarled the purple snake. "Hey, you'd better prepare at least one hundred sacrifices after this, got it?"

'Although Orochimaru-sama is his master, I'm sure Manda will betray him once he realizes Orochimaru-sama can't use his jutsu. We're taking a huge risk using him now!' thought Kabuto.

"Hmm, I've always wanted a snake skin wallet," said Gamabunta as he drew his giant sword.

"You… you want me to make you into toad jerky?" demanded Manda.

"You're not even worthy of being eaten by me!" growled Kyu. "You'd make me sick and then I'd vomit all over the nice trees!"

Gamabunta removed his pipe from his mouth and blew a thick cloud of smoke into Manda's face. Katsuyu took the opening to cry out her attack, "Zeshi Nensan (Thousand Fanged Acid)!" and spit streams of acid at the king snake. Manda rapidly slithered out of the way of the acid and wrapped his coils around Katsuyu before preparing to swallow her whole. Gamabunta jumped in to save his ally, swinging his sword into Manda's mouth in an attempt to separate the top and bottom of his body. Manda bit down on the flat of the sword and stopped it cold. However as the snake tightened his coils Katsuyu burst into thousands of smaller slugs that flew through the air to reform at a safer location. Gamabunta leapt away from Manda before the snake could catch him in his coils, leaving the sword in his enemy's mouth. Manda lunged forward, attempting to stab the sword through Gamabunta's foot, but the boss toad leapt out of the way and the anaconda abandoned the sword.

"Bunta give us some oil!" said Kyu as she skidded to a stop beside the boss toad.

"Alright!" exclaimed the toad as his cheeks puffed up before spitting a stream of oil towards Manda. Jiraiya fired off a quick Katon jutsu to ignite the oil, while Kyu and Naruto sent blue fox fire into the oil. The two colored flames combined to form a giant blue fox head with flames in its eyes and mouth. Naruto's yell of "Gama Kitsune Yuendan (Toad Kitsune Oil Cannon)!" was lost in the flames as Manda was hidden from their sight. The flames started to die down and all six Konoha shinobi watched for any sign of Manda. Jiraiya cursed as he saw a molted skin and something rushing towards the boss toad through the ground. Gamabunta braced himself as his attacker broke the surface and lunged at him. The boss toad caught the attack in his arms and found himself holding Manda's tail. The snake's head broke the ground behind him and Manda's jaws dropped open as he prepared to swallow the giant toad.

However Tsunade had other plans as she leapt into the air with Gamabunta's sword in her grasp and drove it through the top of Manda's head, pinning his head to the ground. "Keep it shut!" yelled the Kunoichi from on top of the dagger.

Kyu also leapt into the air and with a yell of "Enokorogusa Tsuchi (Fox Tail Hammer)!" brought all nine of her tails down on Manda's back.

'It's troublesome fighting all three of them at once,' thought Orochimaru before he shot his tongue towards Tsunade and wrapped it around her neck.

Tsunade grabbed the tongue and planted her feet as she yelled, "Let's end this!" before pulling the tongue and tugging Orochimaru towards her. Tsunade's fist met Orochimaru's face and his head rocked backwards from the blow. Orochimaru landed beside Kabuto on Manda's back.

'Shit, she punched straight through his jaw!' thought the silver haired nin.

"Grr, how dare you shame me like this… I'd rip you to pieces myself, but with a hole in my mouth I can't swallow anything! Until we meet again, prepare yourself for death!" snarled Manda as best he could around the sword pinning him to the ground. Manda disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Orochimaru to slither to a rest beside Kabuto.

"Tsunade, even if you won't cooperate with me, there is still one option left, one more way to revive my arms," said Orochimaru. Tsunade and Jiraiya both stared at Orochimaru, his face was peeling way like snake skin. "I will surely destroy Konoha. Till we meet again my friends."

'Somehow, he must've taken over another body, no wonder he didn't feel like himself when we met,' thought Jiraiya.

Orochimaru started to sink into the ground as he said, "Tsunade, this is true immortality, this is the true me! I am immortal!"

"Farewell," said Kabuto before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Tsunade stumbled slightly after the two Sound nin had fled. 'I'm feeling the side effects of my jutsu, my body is…' "ugh!" grunted Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, you know you shouldn't use that jutsu so recklessly!" admonished Shizune as she supported her mentor.

"Rats," muttered Jiraiya as he carefully felt his chest. 'I broke a rib and a leg.'

(0o0o0)

All the Konoha shinobi gathered around Hinata, who was sleeping peacefully with her head on Tonton, Tsunade's pet pig's, body while Gishou lay by her side. "Well Tsunade, you still suck at gambling," muttered Jiraiya as he looked at the necklace now handing around Naruto's neck.

Tsunade was about to reply when her body tensed and she started to age rapidly. "Now the after effects," she said as she saw Naruto and Jiraiya's horrified looks. "After I've had a bit of a rest I'll revert back to my young self. Let's rest up in the city until Hinata wakes up, then we'll head back to Konoha."

"Tsunade," said Jiraiya, before the blond kunoichi cut him off.

"Don't refer to me with that name, from now on… call me Godaime Hokage," said Tsunade.

"There isn't anyone else I'd rather see get the spot besides me!' said Naruto with a grin. "But don't we still have to find Emi so she can release Oka-san?" he asked.

"That's right, we'll set out to find her as soon as we're all feeling one hundred percent," said Tsunade as Naruto placed Hinata on his back for the trip back to the city. Tsunade smiled as Naruto set a fast pace so he could get Hinata into a comfy bed quickly. 'Nawaki, Dan, there is someone here who has inherited your dreams… it's this boy. Watch him, he'll be Rokudaime soon.'

(0o0o0)

In a quiet village to the north, a miko looked up from her meditations in front of the temple shrine. 'A great youki… comes this way… what does this mean?' she thought as the tiger ears on the top of her head twitched and her tail rustled across the temple floor.

**And that's a wrap! I enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you all liked it also. Yes, I ripped most of Naruto's moves from Rurouni Kenshin. As you can see, Naruto is not unbeatable, he needs to practice more before he can use the high power moves like the one he got Kabuto with. Next chapter, it's time to find Emi, and she isn't too happy to see her perverted Sensei.**


	18. Tail 17: Fiends and Recovery

**Roar of the Dragon: Sorry this chapter took so long, to get out. I lost my job at the start of November and was searching for a new one since then. I've finally got a new job at Blockbuster, so hopefully I can get some movies and games that will inspire me a lot!**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle! She desperately needs reviews other than from her best friend and me, so do a good deed and read it and review it so she can be happy, okay?**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

**Naruto character birthday: Hinata, December 27, Happy Birthday Hinata!**

Hinata woke up to find herself wrapped in Naruto's arms and tails as he held her tight on the bed in their room in the inn they were sharing with Jiraiya. 'I finally did it; I used the Houyoku and saved Naruto-kun's life!' Hinata squealed inside her head. The soft creaking of the door caught Hinata's attention and she looked up to see Tsunade peeking into the room.

"Ah, you're finally awake," said the Godaime Hokage with a smile as she fully opened the door and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to thank you for caring for me and Shizune during the battle and for saving Naruto. I don't know if I would have been able to handle it if he died saving me from Kabuto."

"I-i-it was my pleasure Tsunade-sama!" squeaked Hinata. Having the Godaime personally thank her was a bit much and being caught in Naruto's embrace wasn't helping.

"Relax Hinata-chan, I remember delivering both of you since your parents insisted on only the best doctors. I don't really care what you do with Naruto as long as you don't start doing things found in Jiraiya's books or break his heart."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief, then a squeak of surprise as Naruto's arms tightened around her and he nuzzled her shoulder. "Mmm, Hinata-chan you smell nice," he murmured before blinking and realizing that he had fallen asleep holding Hinata. "Gomen Hinata-chan, I bet you wanted to get out of bed, right?" he asked as he reluctantly released her.

"It's okay Naruto-kun," said Hinata while tenting her fingers and making sure to avoid Tsunade's amused gaze.

The Godaime Hokage clapped her hands to draw the two Genin's attention to her. "Alright, both of you get a shower and then pack up after changing. We're going to have to find Emi and it might take a while since Jiraiya's last bit of info on her might not be accurate," she said. Naruto and Hinata nodded before Naruto left the room to let Hinata change into a bath robe and make her way to the furo.

(0o0o0)

Naruto sighed as he helped Jiraiya walk into Tsunade's room. The perverted Sennin had made a pass at one of the hotel maids who had not appreciated his comments and showed her displeasure by using the deadly, 'Sennen Goroshi revised: houki version (One thousand Years of Pain Revised: Broom Version)' and employed the broom she had been using to sweep the entry way in a manner that made Naruto wince. After dropping Jiraiya off with Tsunade, who broke out in tears of laughter at her teammate's predicament, Naruto returned to the room to get ready for his bath. Naruto opened the door only to catch Hinata just stepping out of her bath robe with her hair still wet from the furo. Naruto let out a small, "Eeep!" before slamming the door shut and running into Tsunade's room to dive under the futon so only his tails were sticking out. "Don't let him find me, don't let him find me!" chanted Naruto. Tsunade and Jiraiya stared at the boy in surprise.

"Don't let who find you, Naruto?" asked Tsunade.

"IaccidentlywalkedinonHinata-channakedandnowHiashiisgoingtoturnmeintoafurcoat!" exclaimed Naruto, not coming out from under the futon.

(0o0o0)

In Konoha, Hiashi was drinking tea with his brother when a massive sneeze caused him to spray Hizashi with his last mouthful of tea. "Why do I feel the need for a new coat?" wondered the Hyuuga head before Hizashi tackled him and the two heads of the Hyuuga houses descended to the level of Academy students as they fought, much to the amusement of Neji and Hanabi who caught the whole thing on camera.

(0o0o0)

Tsunade played back what Naruto said and translated it to, 'I accidentally walked in on Hinata-chan naked and now Hiashi is going to turn me into a fur coat!' "Relax Naruto, I'm sure Hiashi doesn't know about this and he would understand it was an accident. You just couldn't smell her because she finished her bath and the water masked her scent And if Hiashi did try to kill you for that then he'd have to get through me first!" said the blonde kunoichi. Naruto's tails disappeared for a moment before his head appeared.

"It's when you're not around that I'm worried about!" he whimpered. Just then the door opened to reveal a blushing Hinata. "Gomen nasai (I'm very sorry), Hinata-chan, I should have knocked!" the fox boy managed to say while rapidly bowing in apology.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, I should have locked the door," said Hinata. Tsunade giggled at the blushes both Genin were sporting and broke them out of their stupor. Then Naruto caught sight of Jiraiya just finishing writing in his note book. With a flash, Naruto was across the room with the note book in his hand.

"Give that back, Gaki!" growled Jiraiya. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he opened the book to the last page written, where he found a rough sketch of a nude Hinata staring at him. Naruto's eyes grew large before blood spurted out of his nose to ruin the page. Jiraiya's yell of outrage was cut off by Tsunade's glare as she ushered Naruto and Hinata back to their room.

"Naruto, get yourself cleaned up, then we can leave," Tsunade commanded. Naruto dashed out of the room, only to be replaced by Gishou as he entered with a laugh.

"You're good, Godaime-sama. I still remember the days when Ken-sama had to chase Naruto down at Shunshin speed to get him to take a bath," said the fox.

"Hmm, I bet Kyuubi had a laugh at that. Anyway I'm glad you're done, Hinata, I wanted to talk to you," said the blond Sennin. "Jiraiya, could we have some privacy?"

"Well, I didn't know you were into young gir—" Jiraiya's comment was cut off as he went flying out the window courtesy of Tsunade's fist.

"Now that we're alone, I want to make you an offer, Hinata…"

(0o0o0)

Naruto had just finished getting dressed after a quick soak in the furo when the door to the room burst open and Hinata glomped him while squealing, "NarutokunTsunadesamaaskedmetobeherapprenticeandnowIllgettotlearnfromherduringtherestofthetripandafterwegethome!" It took Naruto a moment to translate Hinata's speech to 'Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama asked me to be her apprentice and now I'll get to learn from her during the rest of the trip and after we get home!'

"That's great, Hinata-chan! I just know you'll be the best medic nin since oka-san and Tsunade-obaa-chan!" exclaimed the blond. "Hey, maybe our team will become the next Sannin!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that did happen Naruto," said Tsunade as she entered the room with Shizune carrying Tonton. "From the rumors going around after the second round of the Chunnin Exam I gather that all of the Konoha rookie teams made it to the preliminaries, right?"

"Yeah! All of our friends made it in and Sasuke made it to the final round with me where he fought Hinata's genius cousin Neji. I had to fight Gaara—he's the former Kazekage's son who had the one-tailed tanuki Shukaku sealed inside him. Then Sasuke and Hinata helped me kick his ass when he transformed into Shukaku!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well, your team is obviously one of the stronger rookie teams. And with Jiraiya training you, Kakashi teaching Sasuke, and Hinata training under me I'm positive you three can become as strong as our old team," said Tsunade. "Now, let's find Jiraiya and get out of here!"

(0o0o0)

"Very good, Hinata, your chakra control is definitely Chunnin level!" said Tsunade that night as the group sat around a campfire. "Kyuubi and Rin did a great job teaching you the basics. Your Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel) is well defined and the medical creams you showed me are very high quality. I want you to study this scroll on antidotes and how to construct them from a sample of a poison."

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou (master/mistress)!" said Hinata with a smile before retiring to sleep so she was well rested for her turn at keeping watch.

(0o0o0)

A short distance away, Jiraiya was watching Naruto spar against a Kage Bunshin with Nenshousaiga. "Naruto, Tsunade told me about that attack you used to defeat Kabuto. If it hadn't been for his ability to heal himself, which by the way left him almost out of chakra, you would have killed him. I was too busy fighting Orochimaru to see you start the move so I don't know how exactly it works. Maybe if you explain it to me I can help you perfect it," said Jiraiya.

Naruto heard the serious tone in Jiraiya's voice and dismissed his clone before sheathing Nenshousaiga. "Sorry, Jiraiya-ojii-san, but oka-san made me promise never to reveal the secret behind the move," the hanyou boy said.

Jiraiya nodded before saying, "Fair enough, but why didn't you use it against Itachi and Kisame?"

Naruto thought for a second before nodding and saying, "First of all, because I hadn't mastered the move then and I still don't have it completely down. Second, Kisame's Samehada has a longer reach than Nenshousaiga and would probably absorb most of the damage from the hit if he blocked it. Third, Itachi was too damn fast for me to hit with and it leaves me wide open."

"Why do you say you haven't mastered the move? Didn't you hear me say Kabuto would have been dead if it wasn't for his healing ability?" demanded Jiraiya.

Naruto shook his head and said, "I need to build up my upper body strength, I've been focusing so much on speed with Shunshin that I neglected my upper body. My arms are also barely able to move fast enough to perform the move."

"Well, you could always take a page out of that pupil of Gai's book and wear weights on your arms," offered the white haired Sennin.

Naruto's eyes widened before he grinned and tackled Jiraiya in a hug. "Thanks, ojii-san, that's a great idea! But I'll have to wait until I get back to Konoha before I can get the weights…"

"Not necessarily," said Jiraiya with a big prankster grin as he walked over to his pack and reached inside.

"Nani? What are you planning, ojii-san?" demanded Naruto.

"Try these on and you'll see," said Jiraiya as he tossed a pair of fingerless gloves to Naruto. The fox boy examined the gloves. As far as he could tell they were made from sturdy leather and would reach half way to his elbows. Naruto slipped on both gloves and Jiraiya's grin widened. A quick ram seal followed by the words, "Tekken (Iron Fist) no jutsu," had Naruto gasping as the weight on his arms suddenly increased. "Impressive, eh? There are thin metal plates between the leather that store chakra and this increases the weight of the metal. They'll automatically adjust over time and keep growing heavier. So what do you think?"

Jiraiya's question was answered with a flying glomp that knocked him over as Naruto hugged him. "Sugoi! You're the best, ojii-san! I'll never take them off!" exclaimed Naruto.

(0o0o0)

"How much longer do you think it will be until we find Emi-san?" asked Hinata. It was several days later and the group was approaching a pleasant looking mountain range and the last town they passed was several days behind them.

"The village she is currently living at is about half way up the closest mountain," replied Jiraiya. "It'll take us three more days to get there and I'm not sure how long it will take us to convince her to return and unseal Kyuubi."

"Any idea what we can expect in the village?" asked Tsunade.

Jiraiya remained silent for a minute to gather his thoughts before replying, "I don't think we'll have any trouble with the villagers unless _someone_," here Jiraiya glared at Naruto, "pulls a prank and annoys the whole village. Just to be safe I want you to hide your ears and tails Naruto. Emi will be able to smell your kitsune blood so it won't matter, but don't be surprised if she doesn't trust you for a while since kitsune are known as tricksters and she never met your mother."

"Hai, Jiraiya-ojii-san, but you had better not get her mad by being a super pervert and get us thrown out of the village!" replied the fox boy before sticking his tongue out at the toad summoner and running ahead of the group.

"Get back here, Gaki!" growled Jiraiya as he took off after Naruto.

"Some times I wonder about their sanity," muttered Gishou from his place in the hood of Hinata's jacket.

(0o0o0)

Getting guard duty at the Konoha gates was well known to be the worst job a Chunnin could have. The gate guards were always bored since they had nothing to do unless someone was approaching Konoha. The two Chunnin on guards duty were currently playing 'What does that cloud look like to you?' when they detected a large chakra signature coming towards them. Both Chunnin went from 'relaxed' mode to 'danger' mode in a second and waited for the approaching chakra signature's owner to appear. They didn't have to wait long until a red tiger leapt down from the tree tops to land in front of them. The two Chunnin stared at the tiger for a moment before the beast sighed and said, "Could you please escort me to the office of your Hokage? I need to speak with him at once!" The two Chunnin blinked for a moment before one of them disappeared in a puff of smoke to tell Hiashi that he had a tiger asking to speak with him.

The Chunnin soon reappeared with Rin by his side. The kaze hanyou Jounin bowed to the tiger and said, "Tora-sama, please follow me to the Hokage's office." The tiger nodded and the two set off. Some of the villagers who saw the tiger were whispering and Rin could only groan inside her head at the rumors that were sure to spread from this. As they reached the Hokage's office, Rin turned to the tiger and bowed before saying, "I'm sorry I didn't say this earlier, but our Hokage is currently recovering from the recent attack on our village and has left Hyuuga Hiashi in charge in his place. Be assured he will judge your request fairly and assign the mission to the best his is able." The tiger nodded and Rin opened the doors to let the giant cat enter the office where Hiashi was reading through a scroll.

Hiashi looked up and set the scroll aside. "Tora-san, welcome to Konoha. I understand you bear a mission request for us? We don't usually get missions from youkai, but if it will not harm the village we will consider it," said the Hyuuga head.

"I am Akatora of the Goshoku Tora Douhou (Five Color Tiger Brothers). My mistress is a former Konoha shinobi named Emi. She is currently on a long-term assignment as a miko for one of the mountain villages of Fire Country. A few days ago the local ookami (wolf) youkai tribe joined forces with the oni and started attacking the village. The villagers were able to drive them back with the help of my mistress, but we need reinforcements quickly or we will be overwhelmed soon when they attack again. According to my mistress, this mission would be an A-Rank mission," said the tiger.

Hiashi's eyes widened and he hurridley grabbed the active shinobi roster. "Rin-san, please come in," he called. When Rin had entered the room, Hiashi said, "Rin-san, I need you to lead your team, my nephew Neji, his teammate Tenten, and Uchiha Sasuke on this mission. Your kaze hanyou abilities allow you to reach the village rapidly and according to Jiraiya-sama his group, which should include Tsunade-sama, is heading in the direction of the village. Hold out until they arrive and you shouldn't have any problems. Assemble your team and report here immediately!" Rin nodded and disappeared in a swirl of air. "Can you tell me anything about the oni and ookami forces?" Hiashi asked Akatora.

(0o0o0)

Half an hour later Rin lead her team out of the Hokage tower and to the top of the Hokage monument. There she turned to Akatora, who had accompanied them. "Are you able to assume a smaller form that could allow for easier travel?" she asked the red tiger. Akatora nodded before shrinking down to about Akamaru's size. Rin grinned and said, "Excellent. Now I want you all to watch carefully, this is a nifty trick my mother taught me and I don't use it much but we need to travel with speed!" The wind hanyou then pulled out a large feather that she tossed into the air. The eyes of the watching Genin grew to the size of golf balls as the feather grew large enough to hold all of them. "Everyone on, we're flying the feather express!" yelled Rin as she took her seat. The rest of the Genin took a seat on the feather and could only watch in amazement as it rose into the air and then raced towards the besieged village.

(0o0o0)

"Ano (Umm), Jiraiya-ojii-san, are you sure this is the right village?" asked Naruto. The group was standing in front of a beat up village gate. The village wall was torn in some places like a large clawed hand had ripped into it while giant foot prints, both humanoid and canine, were everywhere.

"Yes, but something has happened here. It looks like there was a small war fought here," answered the toad sennin.

Naruto approached the foot prints and sniffed carefully with Gishou. "Ookami youkai and oni. Oka-san taught me how to recognize most youkai types by scent, and oni leave a scent that just screams 'evil' to my nose," said the boy while Gishou's fur was stiff and his growls were a constant background to Naruto's speech.

"Excuse me," said a voice that had all the shinobi tensing for combat since they didn't hear anyone approaching. "Are you the ninja we requested from Konoha?" asked the voice, which belonged to a teenage girl who peeked out from a hole in the wall. Tsunade smiled and approached the hole so she could bend down and look the girl in the eye.

"We're from Konoha, but we don't know anything about a mission to this village. But the old man and I are two of the Sannin of Konoha. Could you tell Emi-sama that we need to speak to her?" asked Tsunade.

"You want to speak with oka-san?" asked the girl. Everyone blinked in surprise at this statement before the girl grinned and disappeared before she could be heard running towards the center of the village. The slug Sennin stood up and turned to her teammate.

"Did Emi have a child before she left Konoha?" asked Tsunade. Jiraiya was silent for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"No, and I would have known if she had been sleeping with Ken or Kintaro. They were the only ones she really liked enough to let get that close," said the white haired man.

"I did smell a bit of tiger, but I thought it was from Emi-san's presence in the village," said Naruto, to which Gishou nodded.

Any further comments were cut off by a yell of, "Ero-sensei!" and a white and red blur pouncing on the toad Sennin. Everyone blinked in surprise to find a woman with a pair of tiger ears, a tail, and dressed in miko robes had landed on Jiraiya's chest and knocked him flat on his back. "I'm so glad you're here, Ero-sensei, I was worried the attack would come before our message could reach Konoha!" exclaimed Emi as she hugged her teacher. Naruto glanced up as his ears detected a second person coming and the same girl from before jumped over the village wall and landed in front of him.

"Hi there, what's your name?" asked the fox boy.

"Kudora (Little tiger), what's yours?" replied the girl with a happy smile. Add in the cute effect of her tiger ears and tail and it was no wonder Naruto was not at all reluctant to spill everything to her.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, this little guy is Gishou, and this pretty girl at my side is my girlfriend Hyuuga Hinata," was the reply Kudora received. The tiger girl looked a little sad when Naruto named Hinata as his girlfriend, but she covered it up quickly. Like her mother, Kudora had blond hair with a black tiger stripe pattern and wore miko robes. The tiger girl was a year older than Naruto and Hinata, which led Tsunade to hope that Emi had moved on after Kintaro's death.

Before anyone could say anything else, a loud cry of, "Hentai!" from Emi followed by a smack had all the Konoha shinobi looking at Jiraiya. Said perverted hermit was lying face down in the ground thanks to Tsunade's fist and Emi's foot. "You haven't changed at all Ero-sensei; I can't believe you'd grope your own student!" growled the tiger miko.

"Did he ever do that before you left Konoha?" asked Tsunade.

"No, he has a strict policy of keeping his dirty stuff to women over the age of sixteen at least. I still remember the time we were hired to assassinate a crime boss and found him preparing to 'play' with this twelve year old girl. Sensei went ballistic and we couldn't find a piece of the crime boss big enough to identify him," replied Emi. Naruto, Hinata, and Kudora's eyes widened at this statement. Naruto and Hinata were looking at the older man with a hint of fear in their eyes but secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't let anything like that happen to them. Kudora was thinking how cool her mom's sensei was.

"As much as I'd love to continue strolling down Memory Lane, we need to get down to business," said Tsunade. "What happened here, a battle?"

Emi's eyes dimmed slightly as she replied, "The ookami youkai have allied themselves with the oni tribe against us. Normally we would be able to handle either group on their own but together they almost overpowered us. I sent one of my tiger summons to Konoha to request aid, but he hasn't returned. At least we have two of the Sannin, but I fear the amount of wounded will tax even you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's eyes widened and she growled, "Let me be the judge of that, Emi-chan. Come on, Shizune, we're going to be busy!" The two medic nin and Tonton hurried into the village, where one of the villagers led them to the village shrine where the wounded were resting.

"Ano, what about Hinata-chan and me? What can we do?" asked Naruto eagerly.

"You two? You're Genin, you should be back in Konoha until you get some real experience. Kudora is only here and not safe in Konoha because she has my priestess powers and I've trained her to the Genin level on my own," growled Emi. Hinata looked stunned at this statement, but Naruto was outraged.

"Don't underestimate me, oban (Bitchy old hag)! Bukkorosu (I'm going to kick your ass)!" exclaimed the fox boy.

"Hah, I'd like to see you try, Gaki! I was the weapons mistress of my generation and I guarantee I can use my sword better than that little toy you have!"

"Kocha koi (Come here and get your ass kicked)!" replied Naruto as he assumed a Battoujutsu stance.

Emi's eyes narrowed and she tossed off her miko robes to reveal a standard Jounin outfit beneath them. The tiger miko then bit her thumb and smeared the blood on a small tattoo of a katana on her right arm before slamming her hand into the ground with a cry of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" When the smoke cleared away Emi was holding a katana with a snarling tiger shaped pommel. "Time to put you in your place, Gaki!"

"Urusee (You're too noisy), onna (woman), less talking, more fighting!" said Naruto.

"You'll regret that, Gaki!" with that said, Emi charged Naruto while making seals with her free hand. "Ryouko (Two Tigers)!" said Emi as a large tiger appeared beside her. The two moved towards Naruto in a pincher maneuver, but the fox boy remained calm. The tiger suddenly leapt into the air while Emi swung her sword in a shining arc.

Naruto's yell of, "Amatsu Kitsune Ryu: Shiden (Sword flash)!" was followed by an arc of silver light appearing in front of him and the sudden clash of blade meeting blade. Emi's eyes widened as she saw Naruto's pupils were now spirals and he had blocked her attack. The tiger continued downward, only to meet its end as Naruto muttered, "Enokorogusa Kaitou (Fox Tail Sharp Sword)!" and revealed his kitsune features. Several of Naruto's tails shot upwards and slammed into the tiger, dispelling it.

Emi leapt back and took a good look at Naruto. "Blond hair… bright blue eyes… are you related to Ken-kun?" she asked.

"Yep, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Rokudaime of Konoha! Son of Uzumaki Ken and Kyuubi no Kitsune!" exclaimed the boy.

"Man, I thought when they made Ken-kun that they broke the mold. Apparently they improved it!" said Emi before dismissing her katana and bowing slightly to Naruto. The boy repeated the gesture after sheathing Nenshousaiga. "If you're even half as good as your father was at your age then we don't have anything to worry about!"

Naruto's nose suddenly twitched and he looked up in the air. Everyone followed his gaze to see a feather falling towards them and growing larger with each passing moment until the watchers could make out several people riding on it. The feather landed on the path leading to the village and revealed Rin, Haku, Akemi, Aki, Neji, Tenten, and Sasuke as its passengers. Akatora leapt out of Rin's arms and regained his normal form as he approached Emi. "Mistress, these are the shinobi sent to help in the defense of this village," said the red tiger.

"Naruto, Hinata, what are you two doing here? I thought you were looking for Tsunade-sama?" asked Rin as she shrank her feather back to its original size.

"We found her. She's inside helping the wounded…" Hinata started to explain, only to see Rin and Haku run into the village to help Shizune and Tsunade. "I guess I had better go too, bye, Naruto-kun," said the Hyuuga girl as she kissed her boyfriend on the cheek before following her fellow medic nin. Naruto's face was now sporting a very big grin and he didn't respond when Sasuke asked him what had happened after the fight with Itachi and Kisame. Sasuke finally got tired of Naruto grinning like an idiot and shook him. The fox boy snapped out of his daze and stared at his adopted brother in confusion.

"Never let Hinata kiss you before you go into a duel, you'll be in a daze and easy pickings for your enemy," said the Uchiha boy. Naruto nodded, still in a slight daze from the kiss. The remaining Genin looked at Jiraiya, who was examining a rough map of the village Kudora had drawn in the dirt for him.

Jiraiya finished copying the map into his note book and turned his attention to the Genin as he said, "Okay, I want Akemi on the west side of the village, Naruto on the east, and Neji at the north. You three are the primary lookouts with your enhanced senses. Tenten, you're in charge of the gate and south road since it gives you the most range with your weapons. Sasuke, I want you between Naruto and Neji while Aki stays between Neji and Akemi. Both of you are to replay communications from any of the watchers. Kudora, you stay with Tenten, maybe you can give her some advance warning if they attack from the south. I'll be in the watch tower near the center of the village, ready to assist any of you that need help. When Rin and the girls are done with the wounded I'll tell them to rest and prepare a quick meal for each of you so you don't have to leave your post. If you see any sign of ookami or oni send up a flare. Sasuke and Aki will investigate while the rest of you stay at your posts in case it is a diversion. Understood?" All the Genin nodded before dispersing to their assigned spots.

(0o0o0)

The attack came in the late afternoon and from the west side of the village where the enemy forces had a lot of cover due to the forest. Luckily the wind was blowing from the west to give Akemi plenty of warning. With a quick fox fire signal into the air the kitsune girl kept her senses on high alert. The sudden appearance of Naruto beside her did startle her, but then she caught the slight difference in his scent that meant this was a clone. "Naruto Ninpocho: Jouro Kitsune Bi (Naruto's Ninja Art: Raining Fox Fire)!" yelled the clone before firing a huge blast of fox fire into the air. The blast split into many smaller fireballs that rained down on the ookami forces. Aki was the next to arrive, followed by Jiraiya. The toad Sennin immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Where are the oni? They should be in the front lines to break down the walls," muttered the white haired man as he surveyed the battle field. His question was answered by the sound of an explosion from the East wall where Naruto was and a flare of fox fire. "Well, they're smarter than I thought, attacking from two sides like this. Now the only thing we have to worry about is if they attack from the north and south also. Alright, here's the new plan…"

(0o0o0)

Naruto growled as he stared down the latest oni to face him. So far three lay defeated behind him thanks to an ambush with Kage Bunshin, but Naruto knew he got lucky. He could possibly handle a single oni, maybe two, at a time but more than that and he would be overwhelmed. Gishou had already transformed and tackled one of the ogres so Naruto was on his own unless help arrived. The oni he was facing was typical of its kind. Big, red, lots of teeth in its huge mouth, huge iron club, and a tiger striped loin cloth that Naruto did not want to see under. Naruto knew one good hit from that club would take him out and it was only his smaller size that allowed him to dodge most of the strikes so far. "I could really use some help here!" yelled Naruto as he rolled under a blow from the iron club and slashed the oni's leg. The monster snarled and kicked at Naruto, managing to hit him in the side of his chest. "Ow, that hurt, you bastard! Amatsu Kitsune Ryu: Odori Kitsune (Leaping Kitsune)!" yelled Naruto as he leapt upwards with one hand on the back of Nenshousaiga's blade to give the blow more force. The katana cut right through the oni's neck, spraying Naruto with the ogre's blood. "Ewww, now I'll have to take a bath before I can hug Hinata! I hope you're happy, you bastard!" yelled Naruto before he kicked the severed head. The head rolled from the force of the kick, only to be crushed under the foot of another oni that lumbered out of the forest. "Kuso, how many of these guys are there?" demanded Naruto. The fox boy prepared to charge this new foe, only to hear a particular whistling sound from behind him. Naruto ducked and the fuuma shuriken whistled as it streaked over his head to bury itself in the oni's chest.

"Tenka (Ignite)!" yelled Sasuke as he landed beside Naruto. The fuuma shuriken was covered in red flames that quickly reduced the oni to ashes. "Sheesh, these guys are ugly, aren't they?" asked the Uchiha boy as he flipped open his second fuuma shuriken. This one was buried in the throat of the next oni while Naruto sent a Kaen-giri to destroy an oni that was trying to rip out a tree to hit them with.

"Yeah, and strong as hell! We've got our work cut out for us!" replied Naruto. The two boys were soon joined by Jiraiya and Hinata, evening the odds more. Hinata's Kaiten threw back the oni while Jiraiya summoned a human sized toad with an axe that could easily split an oni in half. Naruto and Jiraiya worked together to catch oni between two Rasengan, while Sasuke fired off katon jutsu after katon jutsu to keep the oni away from Hinata.

(0o0o0)

Akemi barely managed to dive out of the way of a claw attack that would have crushed her skull. "Take this, Tetsugen (Iron String)!" yelled the kitsune girl as she raised her wrist mounted launcher to send a kunai with an iron string attached through an ookami youkai's throat. The wolf youkai collapsed as Akemi pulled back and ripped his throat out. A sudden rumbling almost caused Akemi to fall in front of a wolf demon in its true form of a black wolf that stood taller at the shoulder than Akemi. However, before the wolf could make a meal out of the kitsune girl, a geyser of freezing cold water erupted under its head and tossed the youkai backwards. "Thanks, Haku-nee-chan!" yelled Akemi as senbon flew towards another wolf youkai. Haku landed beside her sister where they were soon joined by Aki.

"Rin-sensei is with Neji-kun, while Jiraiya-sama is helping Team Seven and Tsunade-sama is on her way to aid us. Let's show these youkai why you shouldn't mess with Team Kunoichi!" said Aki as she hurled a fuuma shuriken to decapitate a wolf youkai.

The three girls kept up a steady rain of ice needles, fireballs, and kunai until a yell of "Soushouryuu (Rising Twin Dragons)!" echoed across the battlefield. Two smoke dragons shot into the air and became scrolls with Tenten between them. The Weapons Mistress hurled weapon after weapon into the youkai, each one finding its mark and ending a foe's life. Arrows surrounded by a pink aura marked Kudora's arrival as the young tiger miko let lose hamaya (Purifying Arrow) after hamaya into the enemy horde. A loud howl from the woods caused all the wolves to turn around and retreat, resulting in a cheer from the villagers manning the walls in case the wolves got past the shinobi. The cheers died down, however, as a group of oni charged out of the trees and towards the wall. Team Kunoichi prepared to hold off the ogres, only to see a green jacket with the character for 'Gamble' on the back in front of them.

Tsunade snorted as the first oni reached her and swung its iron club at her head. The Godaime Hokage's palm shot up to strike and catch the club. The Oni's look of joy at slaughtering Tsunade turned into confusion followed by fear as the iron club cracked and fell out of its owner's hands. Tsunade's fist came around and sent the oni crashing back into his comrades, all of whom looked at Tsunade with fear in their eyes. "Pathetic, I've seen kids in scarier costumes," muttered Tsunade before raising one finger. "Isshi Resshin (One Finger Earthquake)!" yelled Tsunade as she drove her finger into the ground. A large crack appeared in the earth in front of Tsunade and created a gulf between the oni and the village. "That ought to stop them. Tenten, if you would do the honors?" asked the blonde kunoichi.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama! Soushouryuu!" once again Tenten leapt up between her two dragons as they became scrolls. The rain of weapons proved to be very effective in targeting the major weak spots for the oni, the backs of their throats and eyes. Half the horde fell dead from Tenten's weapons, the rest were taken down by senbon thrown by Haku.

"I don't smell any enemies close by, except for a few ookami running away," said Akemi as she carefully checked the air for foes.

"Great, but stay on guard, that was too easy," said Tsunade.

(0o0o0)

Rin ran towards north wall of the village where she found Neji glancing all around with his Byakugan active. "Any sign of enemies?" asked the kaze hanyou as she listened to the wind for any hints of where their foes could be.

"I'm not sure, I've seen a few ookami, but no oni so far. They could just be making sure we don't try to evacuate the villagers from this direction, but the fact that they keep glancing behind them means there is something back there out of my sight range. I have no idea what it could be, though," replied the Hyuuga genius.

"Well, let me see if I can get them to show themselves!" said Rin with a smirk that didn't bode well for the youkai in hiding. Rin leapt down outside the village walls and grinned as she surveyed the forest. "First of all, let's get rid of those trees!" she said before pulling a fan from her supply pouch and flipping it open. "Fuujin no Mai (Dance of Blades)!" yelled Rin before she swung the fan and sent a swarm of crescent shaped wind blades towards the forest. The wind blades cut down many of the trees and a few of the wolf youkai that didn't duck in time. "And now, for my next trick, Ryuuja no Mai (Dance of the Dragons)!" cried the hanyou Jounin before swinging her fan to send several tornadoes into the trees. The tornadoes ripped the trees and youkai from the earth and flung them into the air, where gravity showed it was still in force by dashing them to the ground.

"Whoa, that was awesome, Rin-sensei!" gasped Neji. Since the Hyuuga boy was not one to go around giving praise like that, Rin took the compliment like the honor it was.

"Thanks, Neji, now see if you can see anything else, that might have provoked them to send some forces towards us to investigate," said the Jounin.

Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan again, concentrating on the forest in front of him for more distance, but he didn't see any oni or youkai within his range. Seeing movement on the very edge of his range, Neji focused as much chakra as he could into his pale eyes. What he saw made him recoil in horror. A large number of red bipedal dinosaurs with large black horns on their heads were coming through the forest towards the village. "Rin-sensei, I think we might have a problem…" Neji described the monsters he had seen and watched Rin's eyes widen as her face paled.

"Merciful Kami, what are fiends doing here?" she whispered. The sudden screech of a person skidding to a stop caused both Neji and Rin to turn and see a white faced Naruto clone staring at them. For this situation Naruto had turned the blue trim on the jacket all his clones wore to green so his allies could tell where he was.

"Rin-sensei… did you say fiends?" whispered the clone. When Rin nodded the Naruto clone used Shunshin to report to his creator as fast as possible. Now Neji was feeling worried. Anything that could spook Naruto was serious. Soon all the Genin and Kudora were gathered around Rin while Tsunade, Emi, and Jiraiya watched over the walls they had been defending with the help of an army of Naruto clones.

"What's going on Rin-sensei?" asked Haku.

"There are apparently some fiends coming to help our foes," said the wind sorceress with a scowl. Sasuke, Haku, Akemi, and Kudora now all sported the same pale face as Naruto.

"What is a fiend?" asked Hinata.

"A fiend is a demon from the depths of hell, a person that has lost their soul and been corrupted into a being of pure evil," replied Naruto. "They're the stuff of hanyou and youkai kids' nightmares. And the greater fiends are even worse."

"Greater fiends? What are those, and will we have to face one?" asked Aki.

"Greater fiends are fiends who somehow retain their soul. As far as I know there aren't any in the world today. The last three were said to have been slain by a legendary shinobi named Ryu of the Dragon Lineage. But for lesser fiends like these to be appearing … there might be some new ones," said Rin.

"Well, how are we going to handle these fiends?" asked Tenten.

"Gang up on them. They're strong, but hit-and-run tactics are the best bet against them unless you have a super powerful attack. I might be able to kill one with level seven Rasengan, but Ero-sennin and otou-san haven't taught that part to me yet," said Naruto.

"What about Chidori or Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou?" asked Sasuke.

"Those would kill smaller fiends, but the ones we'll be facing are too big and tough for you to penetrate enough to inflict a mortal wound. Explosive notes on kunai should work as a distraction at least, but our best bet is for all of you to delay them long enough for one of us adults to finish the fiend off," said Rin as she smeared a bit of blood on her bokken. "Kazesaiga (Wind Fang)!" yelled Rin. The bokken glowed brightly for a moment and when the glow faded the Genin all stared as Rin was holding a sword with a blade as long as she was tall. "Hehehe, good to see I can still surprise you kids. This is my sword's true form, I only use this form if I'm fighting powerful youkai or S-class nuke-nin."

"Cool! Does it have any special attacks?" asked Naruto with eager eyes.

"Oh yeah, this baby has some serious power hidden in it thanks to the youkai sword smith who forged it. His name was Toutousai and he forged two other powerful swords that you might have heard of Naruto. The first was Tessaiga (Steel-Cleaving Fang), the Sword of Earth, which can slay a hundred youkai with one swing. The other was Tenseiga (Heavenly Fang), the Sword of Heaven, which can bring back a hundred dead people with one swing. The two swords were made from the fangs of and belonged to Inu no Taishou, the taiyoukai of the Western Lands. When he died he left the swords to his sons," said Rin.

"Oka-san mentioned him, she said she used to visit him when she was younger for a good sparring partner," said Sasuke.

"Anyway, this sword was a flawed version of Tessaiga and not as powerful but still very deadly, even more so in the hands of a wind sorceress. And I think I'll be showing you why that is now…" Rin turned to look at the forest and the Genin all gulped as they saw the fiends stepping out of the concealment of the trees. Naruto unsheathed Nenshousaiga while the rest of the Genin gripped their kunai and shuriken. "Time to get started!" yelled Rin as she tossed her feather into the air. When it had reached the appropriate size Rin leapt onto the feather and raised Kazesaiga over her shoulder. "Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar)!" yelled Rin as she swung the giant sword. Five lines of energy shot down towards the fiends, most of which dodged to the side with surprising agility for something so big, except for one which charged the attack and lost the left side of its body as one of the energy blasts hit it.

(AN: For all you Inuyasha fans, Rin's version is only half as strong as Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu and the only reason it is that strong is that she can create the Kaze no Kizu with her control over the wind to form the attack. She can't use the Bakuryuuha (Dragon Twister) or any other Tessaiga attacks)

"Split up into teams and keep them busy!" yelled Naruto before he leapt towards the closest fiend with Sasuke and Hinata following him. Sasuke spun his fuuma shuriken in his hands like a buzz saw, while Hinata's hands glowed with the Chakra scalpel. Haku, Akemi, and Aki charged the next one while Neji and Tenten concentrated on the one farthest back in the group. Rin sent a wind blade to cut off the unoccupied fiends and sent another Kaze no Kizu towards the group. However, this time all the fiends dodged the attack and scattered, leaving Rin having to face off against a large number of targets.

Haku called up ice from the ground to freeze the feet of her group's chosen fiend in place, allowing Aki to slam her shadow fist into the monster's head. However the fiend barely seemed to feel the attack and would have broken free of its icy shoes if Akemi hadn't blasted her Tetsugen through its arm to distract it. Haku finished the fiend off by flash freezing the water inside its body, turning the ice into a spike ball that exploded out of the fiend, and ripped it to pieces that Akemi burned with foxfire. Aki glanced up and saw Neji and Tenten were having a hard time, so she ran to their aid while Haku and Akemi split off to help Team Seven.

"Odori Kitsune (Leaping kitsune)!" yelled Naruto as he leapt upwards to slice off a fiend's left arm. The monster screamed in agony and suddenly swung its head while breathing out a stream of fire that almost roasted the fox boy alive. Naruto frantically back pedaled to avoid the attack, while Hinata leapt in front of Sasuke and used a Kaiten to gather the fire around them.

"Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!" yelled Hinata as her chakra wrapped around the flame and bent it to her will. The Hyuuga girl released the Kaiten at just the right time to send a large wave of fire in the shape of a dragon's head at the fiend. The fiend managed to avoid most of the attack but left itself open for an overhead attack from Naruto.

"Rasengan!" roared the kitsune boy as he plunged the sphere of swirling chakra into the monster's back. The creature's death scream split the air before Naruto yelled, "Rasengan Setsudanki (Cutter)!" and leapt backwards as he released his control of the chakra sphere. Whips of chakra shredded the fiend and sent green blood flying through the air. As Naruto landed, he heard the sound of a thousand birds coming towards him and barely managed to roll out of Sasuke's path as the raven haired boy plunged a Chidori into the leg of a second fiend. The fiend screeched and started to fall over. Naruto and Sasuke both leapt back and then charged the unbalanced monster with Hinata.

Naruto and Sasuke both ducked under the fiend and kicked upwards, sending the monster into the air where it met Hinata. "Nakazor (Midair) Hakke Shou Kaiten!" cried the Hyuuga girl. The spinning chakra shield slammed into the fiend and tossed it towards the ground face first, where Sasuke and Naruto were waiting with their most powerful jutsu.

With a cry of "Raikaze Arashi (Lightning Wind Storm)!" from both boys, Chidori and Rasengan met each side of the fiend's head and it had a moment of unbearable agony before the attacks ripped it apart. Sasuke used his Sharingan to avoid stabbing Naruto with the Chidori and sank to his knees panting.

"How many more of these things are there?" demanded the Uchiha boy.

"More than enough to keep us busy!" replied Naruto as he sent a horde of clones to delay the next fiend. The sound of Haku and Akemi arriving has Naruto grinning. "Hey, Haku-nee-san, remember that trick we did against shark face?" Haku grinned and was at Naruto's side in a flash. Both hanyou formed hand seals before announcing their dual jutsu. "Katon Kakitsune Endan (Fire Style: Fire Fox Flame Blast)!" exclaimed Naruto followed by Haku's cry of, "Suiton Hyouryuudan (Water Style: Ice Dragon Blast) no Jutsu!" The fiery kitsune and icy dragon blast spiraled around one another and a giant sideways tornado formed between them. "Kitsune Ryuu no Kaze (Fox Dragon Wind)!" roared the two in unison. The attack tore through one fiend and sent the rest flying.

Nearby, Tenten landed on the ground after piercing the eyes of a fiend with kunai to blind it. When the monster opened its mouth to scream in pain she hurled a kunai with an explosive note attached into the gaping maw. Tenten turned her attention to Neji, who was performing his Toriuchi (Shooting birds) technique to send birds of chakra at a fiend and keep it pinned down for her to repeat her previous strategy. However the fiend suddenly exploded from the inside, leaving both of the Genin confused. However their confusion was put to rest as Aki rose out of a shadow using her family's Kage Hokou (Shadow Walk) jutsu. "Ugh, I am never sticking my hands into a monster's gut again!" muttered the girl. Seeing Neji's and Tenten's disturbed looks she explained, "I used the Kage Chozou (Shadow Storage) my family uses to place dangerous items for our store in locked and sealed chests by reaching into the shadows inside the chest. I reached inside the Fiend's stomach and placing a bunch of explosive notes in there to give it a really bad case of heartburn." Both Neji and Tenten looked appropriately grossed out at this. The three then ganged up on another fiend, peppering it with kunai and chakra birds until it opened its mouth to breath fire and found out what an explosive note laden kunai tastes like.

Akemi transformed into her true form of a giant four-tailed fox. She then bit down on a fiend's tail and swung the monster around in the air. The two remaining fiends near her were knocked to the ground by the attack, which allowed Akemi the time to toss her bludgeoning object into the air and leap up after it. "Akaakatookottahi Itoguruma (Blazing Fire Spinning Wheel)!" roared Akemi as she somersaulted in midair and surrounded her body in blue foxfire. The kitsune crashed into the fiend, her iron-hard tails slashing it to pieces that the foxfire consumed. Akemi landed on her feet and felt a person leap onto her back. A quick sniff showed it was Naruto.

"Okay, Akemi-chan, time to show these jerks why they shouldn't mess with Uzumaki kitsune! Just like on the bridge, okay?" declared the blond. Akemi nodded and inhaled in preparation for expelling foxfire. Naruto formed several hand seals before yelling, "Katon: Kitsune-hou (Fox Cannon) no Jutsu!" The two kitsune siblings breathed out fox fire that formed a giant fox head and blasted through the two closest fiends. "Whoa, it's a lot more powerful when you're in your true form!" gasped Naruto. Akemi nodded as she sank to her knees to let him get down. Naruto did so and took in the fiends at the left. Rin had just killed two at once with another Kaze no Kizu. Jiraiya and Tsunade had arrived by now, each Sannin barely seeming to make any effort to slay the fiends they encountered. A simple flick of Tsunade's fingers ripped off the head of a fiend while Jiraiya seemed to appear out of nowhere to shove a Rasengan into the back of the monsters' heads. Emi and Kudora provided long range support with their hamada, each arrow turning any fiend it came close to into dust while Akatora and four other colored tigers, worked together to bring down individual fiends. Soon the horde of monsters was down to one survivor, with all the shinobi except Naruto too tired or wounded to finish it off.

"All right, ugly, time to finish this!" exclaimed the fox boy as he assumed the stance Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Hinata recognized from his recent battle with Kabuto. Hanyou and Fiend stared at one another before the monster roared and charged Naruto. Naruto's grip on Nenshousaiga tightened and he ran towards his larger foe. Boy and fiend leapt into the air, both aiming to kill and to finish the fight with one blow. The fiend swung its claws. "Amatsu Enokorogusa Atemi (Heavenly Fox Tail Strike)!" roared Naruto as he unsheathed the blade so quickly it left a blue afterimage in its path. Naruto soared above the fiend and landed behind it. With a smooth motion Naruto sheathed his sword as the top of the fiend's head slid down to the ground. "Heh, looks like that speed and strength training paid off," muttered Naruto before he collapsed to the ground. Hinata yelling his name was the last thing Naruto heard before darkness claimed him as he felt the wound the fiend had managed to give him in his side spill his blood onto the ground.

(0o0o0)

Naruto gradually became aware of a cool cloth on his head and that his head was on the most comfortable pillow he had ever felt. Naruto instinctively snuggled up to this pillow, wrapping his arms around the fluffy mass, only to freeze as he felt his hands resting on something he was intimately familiar with from his cuddle sessions with Hinata. The fox boy leapt up and saw he was right, his head had been in Hinata's lap and he just accidentally squeezed her bottom. The Hyuuga girl's head resembled a tomato and Naruto could tell his face had a similar appearance. The sudden sound of Neji coughing snapped both of the lovebirds out of their trances and they saw Neji, Tenten, Haku, Sasuke, Akemi, Aki, Kudora, Emi, Rin, Jiraiya, and Tsunade watching them. "You gave us quite a scare Naruto; you've been unconscious for a week due to chakra exhaustion and blood loss. Hinata has not left your side since we stabilized you and Sasuke has been driving Neji crazy by demanding sparring matches at all hours to keep himself from coming in here and forcing you to train with him," said Tsunade with a grin. The legendary medic's face grew grim however as she continued, "Naruto, that fiend gave you a very deadly wound. It took Rin, Shizune, Emi, and me pooling all our remaining chakra to save your life. You'll have to be very careful for the next few weeks while we take the trip back to Konoha slowly!" Naruto sighed, he was eager to rescue his parents, but he could see the wisdom in the legendary medic's words.

Naruto's thoughts were cut off as Akemi glomped him. "Naruto-nii-san, don't ever scare me like that again!" exclaimed the kitsune girl with tears in her eyes. While Akemi was actually much older than everyone else in the room, she still had the mind of an eleven year old, and her behavior and appearance followed this pattern. So Naruto did the only sensible thing he could, hug his little sister back and make comforting noises as he rubbed Akemi's back. He could practically smell the fear of losing him coming off Akemi and smiled as it started to fade.

"Don't worry Akemi-imotou-chan, I'm not going anywhere," said Naruto. Haku silently wrapped her arms around the younger genin and smiled, enjoying the sense of family she had thought lost when her parents had been killed in front of her. Sasuke took this opportunity to noogie Naruto since the fox boy couldn't get out from under all the girls to retaliate. All the other shinobi in the room smiled and slipped out of the room to give the siblings privacy, with Sasuke being the last one out the door. The Uchiha boy smiled at the tender scene and softly shut the door.

(0o0o0)

A few days later, the Chunnin guards on gate duty were surprised to see a large kitsune walking towards the gate. Usually any kitsune visiting Konoha to confer with Kyuubi assumed human form to avoid causing a possible panic, but this one was calmly walking along in all her nine tailed glory. As the kitsune drew closer, the Chunnin captain was relieved to see a large group on her back, including an easily recognizable orange jump suit. Really he was kind of surprised Naruto hadn't been killed due to his 'Here I am, come kill me!' outfit. The captain sent one of his men to inform Hiashi that Naruto's group had returned.

When the kitsune reached the gate, Jiraiya and Rin jumped down to talk to the Captain for a moment before Kyu lifted them back up with a tail. The giant kitsune then stepped over the village walls and proceeded down the main road to the Hokage tower, where Hiashi was waiting. Hinata immediately jumped off of Kyu's back and hugged her father while Neji bowed to the clan head. "It is good to see all of you again, especially you Tsunade-sama. And who is this charming young lady?" asked Hiashi as he noticed Kudora easily leaping off of Kyu's back.

"This is Kudora; she is the daughter of Emi-san. Emi-san was unable to leave her village without a priestess and sent Kudora in her stead," said Naruto. "Kudora, this is Hyuuga Hiashi, Hinata's father and Neji's uncle."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hiashi-sama!" said the tiger girl with a bow.

"The pleasure is mine. Now, I believe I need to hear mission reports from all of you," said the Hyuuga head as he led them into the Hokage office.

(0o0o0)

Kudora stared at the place where Kyuubi's body was concealed by the trees she had grown to keep Tsubaki from fleeing. The spot where the kuromiko (Black Priestess) had been slain was marked by dead grass that refused to grow there. Kudora could feel the dark power of the Rei Kyoujin (Soul Assassin's Dagger) keeping Kyuubi's soul from rejoining her body. "Hmm, tricky. I can do this, but it appears Kyuubi-sama's body is severely drained by not having her soul inside it. We're going to need to heal her quickly," said the tiger girl.

"How bad is the damage?" asked Tsunade.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and stared at Kyuubi's body. "Well, her face looks a bit older, her muscles are stiff, and the dagger pierced a lung," said the white eyed girl.

"Kuso, we'll have to heal her body right after we pull out the dagger," said Tsunade. "I don't think even I can heal her that quickly with Shizune and Rin's help."

"I believe I can handle it Tsunade-sama," said Hinata as she prepared to reach for the fire hidden inside her. Tsunade's eyes widened as she realized what Hinata was going to do and she nodded to Kudora and Kyoichi. The kitsune's tails glowed and the tree opened up to reveal Kyuubi pinned to the tree by the dagger.

The young miko took a deep breath and gathered her holy power around her hands before starting to chant and ending up with a cry of, "Kaigan (Spiritual awakening)!" as she grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of Kyuubi.

Kyuubi's body started to glow as it fell forward into Hinata's arms as the wings of flame grew out of her back, causing all the people who hadn't seen the phoenix wings before to gasp in surprise. "Zenyu Houyoku (Complete Healing Phoenix Wings)!" said Hinata as her wings hid Kyuubi and her from view. A bright white light shone through the feathers and then the returned to their original position to reveal Kyuubi hugging Hinata as tears slid down her cheeks.

"Hinata-chan, you have become so much stronger than I ever expected. You saved my kit's life and now my own with that technique. I promise that the kitsune will never forget your name, and this story will be passed down for generations," said Kyuubi. She then kissed Hinata on the forehead before the two of them were tackle hugged by Naruto, Sasuke, Akemi, and Haku. "Oh, my little kits, I'm so proud of all of you! Now let's free my mate and celebrate our reunion!" whispered Kyuubi as her tails wiped the tears from the teenagers' faces.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi sighed as she examined the crystal coffin that imprisoned her mate in the center of the Uzumaki living room. "I hope Ken hurt that bastard Ankoku badly before he killed him," muttered the kitsune woman. "From everything I can see, Ken looks okay, Ankoku was fond of trapping women in his crystal coffins to be used as beautiful statues and didn't want their beauty to fade over time." Kyuubi held her hands up and said, "Reien (cool flame)!" as a blue ball of fire formed in her hands. "This version of foxfire is mostly energy, it won't burn anything. But it will melt this crystal coffin!" Kyuubi explained as she separated the fire into two balls, one in each hand and held them near Ken's head. Soon the crystal could be seen growing thinner and after a few minutes Ken's head was freed. Kyuubi had a big grin on her face as she leaned forward and gave her mate a deep passion-filled kiss that caused his eyes to shoot open. Kyuubi's body was suddenly covered in Reien and the dark crystal didn't stand a chance. Once all the crystal had melted away, Ken slumped into Kyuubi's grasp now that his body lacked any support. Kyuubi immediately guided her mate to his favorite chair.

"Oh, man, my body feels sore!" moaned Ken as he attempted to move his arms and winced. Kyuubi slid onto Ken's lap and wrapped her arms and tails around him while Tsunade, Shizune, and Rin started massaging Ken's arms and legs to restore feeling to them. The blond haired man sighed in relief when he recovered control of his body and gave his wife a hug before they were dog piled by their kids.

(0o0o0)

The next day found all of Konoha's shinobi and villagers gathered outside the Hokage tower. The crowd grew quiet as Hiashi and Jiraiya stepped out onto the balcony. "People of Konoha, I have good news for you!" declared the Hyuuga head. "Yesterday Jiraiya-sama returned from a mission of great importance!"

Jiraiya now stepped forward and cleared his throat before saying, "By order of the village council I was sent to find Tsunade-sama and ask her to become the Godaime Hokage. Thanks to Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata I found her and we were able to drive off Orochimaru when he attacked us. Konoha, I present the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama!" The last part of his speech was a roar that the crowd took up and chants of "Tsunade! Tsunade!" filled the air as the legendary Kunoichi stepped out onto the balcony.

Tsunade raised her arms for quiet and the crowd's cheers died down. "People of Konoha, I too have good news. Following our defeat of Orochimaru, Jiraiya and I went in search of Uzumaki Ken's old teammate Emi-sama, who sent her daughter Kudora to release Kyuubi from the spell that kept her trapped in the spirit world. Kyuubi-sama was able to release the jutsu that held my predecessor prisoner and they are reunited with us today!" At Tsunade's final words, Ken and Kyuubi stepped out onto the balcony. For a moment silence filled the air and then the cheers of the villagers echoed across Konoha.

Ken stepped forward and the crowd grew quiet. "Everyone, I apologize for leaving you with such fear. I am going to step down from the Hokage position until Orochimaru is dead and until that time Tsunade-sama will be the Hokage. What say you?" he asked. The cheers of the crowd were answer enough, and Ken smiled before raising his hands. The Yondaime's hands seemed to blur so fast that not even the Jounin present could tell what seals he formed, but then a cloud of smoke appeared before him. When it cleared it revealed a large heavy chest with a large seal on it in place of a lock. Ken bit his thumb and smeared his blood over the seal. The seal broke apart and Ken opened the chest and reached inside. When he lifted his hands out, they held a large stone about the size of a man's head. This stone was made of a transparent reddish orange crystal and seemed to have a living flame trapped inside it while being sculpted in the shape of a flame itself. "This is the Shinki: Jouka (Sacred Treasure: Sacred Flame) of Konoha. It has been passed down to each Hokage and represents the spirit of fire that binds us together. Each new Hokage is charged with putting some of their chakra into this stone where it will mix with the chakra of the previous Hokage. Tsunade-sama, it is an honor to pass this duty on to you," said Ken as he turned to Tsunade and presented the Jouka to her. Tsunade took the stone flame in her hands and raised it above her head before blue chakra surrounded her. The chakra flowed into the Jouka stone and the flame inside grew brighter.

"I, Tsunade, solemnly swear that I shall lead this village to the best of my ability in peace and wartime. I am ready to lay down my life for the village just like my grandfather, great-uncle, and Sensei have. I will bet my life on this village!" exclaimed Tsunade. The fire inside the Jouka turned bright white and for a moment no one could see anything. Then the light faded and Tsunade was clad in the Hokage robes and hat while holding up the Jouka. Tsunade placed the Jouka back in its chest to the cheers of the crowd and performed the hand seals Ken had showed to her earlier to replace the seal on the chest and dismiss it to its resting place. The cheers of the crowd grew louder while Chunnin on top of the tower fired off multiple fireballs to celebrate the passing on of the will of fire and the inauguration of the Godaime Hokage.

**AN: And that's a wrap! Sorry if this chapter took a while, but I wanted to give it my best! I hope you liked Tsunade's inauguration ceremony. I made it up myself!**


	19. Tail 18: Promotion and Mission

**Roar of the Dragon: Sorry this Tail took so long, my job at Blockbuster has been keeping me busy. I'm back in college and so updates will be slow since I have a big work load this semester.**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

**_Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle! (Her own comment: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the story! I need the reviews and more than just his and Kendell-chan's reviews! If any of you have stories out, in return I shall be open-minded and read them! JUST PLEASE READ THIS FIC, DESPITE THE CRAZINESS, I DON'T IF THERE ARE FLAMES—) Okay, I think that's enough, imotou-chan. (drags her away)!_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

**_Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String._**

**Naruto character birthday(s): Haku, January 8, Gaara January 19, and Shino January 23! And Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi's birthday was February 8!**

Naruto was awakened in a manner he had sorely missed for the past few weeks, his mother's voice as she gently shook him awake. The fox boy was soon in the designated boys' bathroom downstairs taking his morning shower while cleaning Gishou. The two then headed into the kitchen where they could smell Kyuubi's long awaited cooking. Finding his sisters were already at the table, Naruto simply sat down and resisted the urge to send a clone to hurry Sasuke up. Ken grinned at his son over the top of the Konoha news paper he was reading. Having missed several weeks of issues, Ken had been reading the paper in his spare time to make sure he was up to current events. Sasuke finally made it to his place just as Kyuubi placed a plate of pancakes in front of his chair. After Kyuubi had taken her seat a loud, "Itadakimasu!" from everyone marked the beginning of the meal.

"By the way, I haven't found the results of the Chunnin Exam yet. Have they announced who became Chunnin yet?" asked Ken. At this question, all the Genin suddenly froze as they realized he was right.

"We haven't heard anything yet……" said Naruto as he stared at Sasuke, who had a piece of pancake half way to his mouth with his mouth wide open.

"Well, they need a Hokage to make everything official. Unfortunately impressing the Hokage does less for your scores since all of you are either my kids or wards. However I know the daimyou were impressed with all of you, I could see it as they watched you exit the arena, well except for Naruto since everyone was in a panic. But Rasengan and Shunshin are two of the jutsu I'm best known for, and mastering them definitely impressed them. I'll ask Tsunade about the results today," said Ken.

(0o0o0)

Naruto eagerly ran to the Hokage tower with Sasuke, Hinata, and Gishou following him. The ANBU guarding the door barely managed to jump out of the way as the fox boy tripped and skidded to a stop right in front of the door to the Hokage's office. "Ouch, stupid loose floorboard," muttered Naruto as he stood up rubbing his chin. "Hey, is Tsunade-obaa-chan in yet?" he asked the ANBU to his left, who wore a tiger mask. The ANBU nodded and opened the door, allowing the Genin to enter the room. There they found Tsunade snoring away with a pile of paperwork as her pillow. "Oh damn, this will be tricky," muttered Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sasuke as he walked up beside Tsunade and reached up to shake her. "All we have to do is wake her up like …" Sasuke was cut off as Naruto's hand grabbed his wrist and the blond pulled him back beside the door way.

"Tsunade-obaa-chan is really dangerous to wake up. You're lucky I can do this!" hissed Naruto before sending a clone over to awaken the slug Sennin. The clone clearly didn't want to do this and Naruto's face showed he hated having to make the clone do this. The clone finally sighed and shook Tsunade. The next second the clone went flying into the wall and disappeared in a puff of smoke as Tsunade's reflexes kicked in and she punched her 'attacker' without waking up. Sasuke and Hinata both backed up with looks of fear on their faces as Naruto turned to them and said, "You have to wake her up from a distance unless you're at the Jounin level or higher. I might be able to withstand a single punch, but I don't want to test it. The best way to wake her up is this!" Naruto reached into his supply pouch and pulled out a small cup with a screw on lid. Opening the container revealed two die. The blond quickly rattled the cup and Tsunade shot upright with her eyes fixed on the cup. "Glad to see you're awake Obaa-san," said Naruto as he screwed the lid back on the cup and put it away.

Tsunade blinked before groaning and saying, "I have a very bad hangover this morning Naruto, so what do you want?"

"Well, what about healing Kakashi-sensei and looking at Rock Lee? Oka-san sent you a scroll about him…"

"Oh yeah, I've been so busy with your father and my inauguration that I forgot. Let's go!" exclaimed Tsunade. The blond kunoichi soon found herself gazing down at Kakashi as he lay on his bed. Haku, Rin, and Hinata watched Tsunade closely to observe how she molded her chakra so they could possibly cure other victims of the Tsukuyomi Genjutsu Itachi used on Kakashi. Within moments Kakashi was sitting up and blinking sleepily at everyone. "Some genius, you got taken out by a brat," muttered Tsunade as she examined Kakashi for any side effects of the Tsukuyomi. She then grabbed Sasuke and examined him also, despite his protests that he was fine. "Jiraiya told me about your fight with Itachi, the curse seal broke through Kakashi's seal. We're going to seal that up with Kyuubi right now!" said Tsunade as she tossed Sasuke over her shoulder and marched him to Kyuubi's office in the hospital. Naruto followed, snickering at Sasuke looks of indignation.

(0o0o0)

"Why didn't you tell me the curse seal broke free, Sasuke?" asked Kyuubi with a sigh as she used her blood to trace the signs for the four main elements around the curse seal. "This ought to keep the curse seal from activating even if your emotions get out of control. The only thing that could break this seal is if Orochimaru was able to put some of his chakra in your body. Now this might hurt a bit Sasuke." Sasuke gritted his teeth as Kyuubi yelled "Yontenshi Fuuin (Four Natural Elements Seal)!" and slammed her hand down over the characters she had drawn. Sasuke felt like he was being burned, soaked, battered by rocks, and buffeted by wind all at the same point on his back. Finally the sensation stopped and Sasuke collapsed to his knees gasping. Four circles, each one composed of the character for each element, now bound the curse seal.

Sasuke raised his hands in the ram seal and focused his chakra, letting out a sigh of relief when he couldn't feel the curse seal's influence any more. "Arigatou Oka-san!" said the Uchiha boy before he pulled on his shirt and left Kyuubi and Tsunade alone.

"Are you ready to examine Rock Lee?" asked Kyuubi as she picked up his folder from her desk. At Tsunade's nod, the red haired woman handed over the folder and the two of them walked to Lee's room.

(0o0o0)

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask as he walked out of his apartment for the first time in the past month. "Time to catch up on my reading," said the Copy Ninja with a smirk as he whipped out Icha Icha Paradise and flipped it open. Kakashi's visible eye shot down to the page only to widen in horror. On the pages of the book, where there should have been a story involving many things not meant for the eyes of children, were now large glossy photos of Gai and Lee in various poses, including hugging against a sunset lit ocean backdrop. Kakashi flipped through the book, finding each page filled with green spandex, shining teeth, bowl cuts, and thick eyebrows. Kakashi's eye narrowed as a vein throbbed on his head. "NARUTO, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" roared the silver haired Jounin before he ran off to track down his wayward student.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi glanced out the open window and said, "Looks like Kakashi found that Naruto switched the cover of Lee's Gai-Sensei photo album with his Icha Icha Paradise book."

"Serves Kakashi right, he's always got his nose buried in those books. All his opponents have to do is toss one in front of him to distract him," said Tsunade as she kept her attention focused on Lee's back. "You were right about how serious this is Kyuubi-san. If another gate had been opened we would have had to do an intensive surgery with a high chance of failure resulting in Lee's death and even if it had succeeded he would have had to face extensive rehabilitation. I'm glad you sent me that scroll. Your method is much safer."

"What exactly do you mean Tsunade-sama?" asked Gai worriedly.

Tsunade stood up and stretched before motioning for Lee to put the hospital robe he had been wearing back on. "As Kyuubi-san said, there are numerous bone fragments lodged in within vital parts of your neural network Lee. Unfortunately the treatment we had planned prior to the operation should already have been completed, except that the attack from Sound and Sand disrupted things," said the Hokage.

Kyuubi picked up where Tsunade had left off. "When youkai and hanyou mate with a human there is a special ritual that is performed to give some of the youkai or hanyou's essence to their mate. This allows the human to live as long as their partner does and give them the same abilities as a hanyou of that youkai type. However this can also be done as an adoption ritual if a youkai or hanyou takes a liking to a human child. I've sent out messages to some of my old friends who are interested in human children and we should be getting replies from them soon. If none of them wish to perform the ritual with you I shall do it myself," she said.

Lee's eyes widened and he bowed deeply to Kyuubi while saying, "Kyuubi-sama, you honor me greatly. I thank you for your efforts on my behalf."

(0o0o0)

Jiraiya grinned as he snuck towards the wall of the woman's hot spring. 'After all that time with Hinata, Shizune, and especially Tsunade around I am in need of some serious information gathering without my notebook being destroyed,' thought the perverted sennin as he carefully slipped behind a large bush that would conceal him from view and also hid his favorite peeping hole. As soon as he peered into the hot spring, Jiraiya's face was covered in a perverted grin at the sight of the beauties before him. Haku, Akemi, Aki, Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata had decided to have a girls' day out to introduce Kudora to Konoha's sights. All of the girls were relaxing in the hot springs and providing enough stimulation for Jiraiya's mind to start conjuring tons of perverted images. As the pervert started writing down his ideas, he forgot the fact that Hinata's Byakugan could see him through the wall, Kudora, Akemi, and Haku could hear him with their ears, and they had a girl amongst themselves who always hit what she was aiming at! The first hint the girls had that something was wrong was when Naruto came crashing down into the water facing away from them.

"Note to self: Jumping while using Shunshin sends you up way too high too fast to be healthy," groaned Naruto as he climbed to his feet before freezing. Naruto's nose had just told him where he had landed and the fox boy knew he was in deep trouble now. "Umm, would you girls believe me if I said I didn't see anything, except maybe Hinata?" asked Naruto without turning to face the seven girls behind him.

"That would fit you, any time you see her sweaty after training or getting hit by enough water you develop tunnel vision," said Haku.

"Well, I'll just be going now!" exclaimed Naruto before he shot forward with Shunshin. Unfortunately he slipped on a puddle of water and crashed into the fence where Jiraiya was peeping. All the girls who had figured out the toad hermit was hiding there grinned in anticipation of seeing him receive a beating.

"Baka Gaki, how dare you interrupt my long delayed research!" hissed Jiraiya, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"Ero-Sennin, what are you…. YOU BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU PEEP ON HINATA-CHAN, HAKU-NEE-CHAN, AND AKEMI-IMOTOU-CHAN FOR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR HENTAI BOOKS!" roared Naruto before he launched himself at Jiraiya, forgoing all his training with the intent to rip the white haired man to shreds with his bare hands.

"Oh, he is pissed!" said Akemi with a big grin as they watched the two be enveloped in a dust cloud.

"Yep, and he's not the only one!" said Tenten as she pointed out the newly arrived figures watching the fight. All the girls grinned as they saw their male team mates and in a few cases their parents watching and waiting their turn. In fact, more and more fathers were arriving by the moment.

Suddenly Naruto flew out of the dust cloud and right into the middle of the group of girls. The cloud dissipated to reveal a smirking Jiraiya as he rubbed the black eye Naruto had managed to give him. "Hehehe, you're thirty years too young to beat me gaki," he said. However anything else he wanted to say was cut off by the sound of a throat being cleared behind him. Jiraiya felt his survival instincts screaming for him to run before he turned around to find himself facing an angry Hiashi with his Byakugan fully activated. Tenten's father moved into a flanking position with his twin swords, while Ken was on the other side.

"Sensei, I think you need a lesson on manners," said Ken as he cracked his knuckles.

"Yes, and we have to avenge our daughters' honor," continued Hiashi.

"Don't worry, we'll leave enough of you so that the women can have their turn later," muttered Tenten's father. Sakura and Ino's fathers moved in between the three stronger shinobi to keep Jiraiya from escaping, the look in their eyes promising to cause as much pain as they could to the Sennin.

"Oh my head, I'm going to kill Ero-Sennin for … that?" Naruto's declaration of vengeance was cut off when he saw the assorted fathers of Konoha beating on Jiraiya. "Damn, if I go in there to give him the beating he deserves I'll get ripped apart," muttered the fox boy. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Naruto's question was answered as a puff of smoke appeared behind him. Naruto spun around to see Kakashi glaring at him and cracking his knuckles.

"Now I'm only going to ask this once Naruto. Where is my book?" asked the Copy Ninja. Naruto's eyes widened and he fell backwards. Kakashi blinked and stared at his fallen student. "Huh, I wasn't that scary, was I?" he asked, only to sense intense killing intent behind him. Kakashi spun around, only to see a bunch of pissed off female genin clad only in their towels glaring at him. Now normally Kakashi wouldn't be affected by the sight of so much naked flesh, even though nothing naughty was showing, since he was constantly reading his dirty books. However he hadn't had his usual fix of porn, so his visible eye fixed on the girls and didn't move while a wet spot formed on his mask right where his nose was and water started soaking out from around his mouth area.

"HENTAI!" yelled all the girls as they threw brushes, the buckets they carried their bathing supplies in, soap, and in Haku's case balls of ice, at the silver haired ninja. Kakashi was sent crashing into the wall, while Naruto was starting to sink into the water. Hinata quickly pulled him to the shore, checked his vital signs, and declared, "He needs mouth-to-mouth!" with a huge grin on her face before giving Naruto a passion filled kiss that caused his tails to stiffen in shock. Naruto quickly responded to the kiss, though Hinata pulled back before she could cause him to lose conscious thought due to living one of his fantasies.

The fox boy sat up and made sure to be facing away from the girls as he said, "Where did Ero-sensei go?" Hinata's arm pointed towards the wall where Kakashi was stuck unconscious. Naruto pulled a small grinning kitsune statue from his pocket and walked up to Kakashi to pry him out of the wall. The silver haired Jounin ended up on his chest facing away from the girls before Naruto placed the statue on his back, where it promptly grew in size after a sealing ward was placed onto its head. "Hehehehe, you won't be going anywhere Kakashi no Hentai!" Naruto then ran like his life depended on it, since he would have both of his teachers out for his blood when they were finished getting their well-deserved beatings.

(0o0o0)

"Where is Naruto? H can't still be hiding from Jiraiya and Kakashi, can he?" asked Haku as dinner was approaching and Naruto had yet to appear.

"Well, judging by the fact that both of them are still hunting for him I'd say he is," replied Akemi as she gestured to Kakashi leaping from rooftop to rooftop in search of the blond fox boy. The masked ninja had tried to use his ninken (ninja dogs) to sniff out Naruto, only to find that Naruto had spilled pepper on his trail to make the dogs' noses useless. Jiraiya had a little more luck tracking Naruto thanks to his toad summons, but each time he cornered the boy he found a Kage Bunshin instead of the real Naruto.

"Well, Naruto certainly paid attention to Iruka's lessons on avoiding enemy trackers," said Ken as he stirred a pot of rice for Kyuubi, who had gone out to get some spices that she discovered were low in supply. The sound of the door opening along with a low moan had everyone turning to see Ken and Kyuubi kissing in the hallway. All the genin and Kudora turned to look at the man in the kitchen, who smirked and turned into Naruto in a puff of smoke. "Heh, I can't believe I fooled all of you," said the fox boy.

"Clever, using the fact that Oka-san and Otou-san have their scents all over each other like you do naturally allowed you to trick us," said Akemi. "But what really surprises me is you can cook something besides instant ramen!"

"You take that back!" growled Naruto before he pounced on Akemi to initiate a massive tickle war with tails. Haku and Sasuke both sighed, knowing there was no way of separating the two kitsune without getting involved in the tickle fight and losing what dignity they had as they struggled not to laugh at the pair.

"Okay, everyone listen up!" exclaimed Ken as he clapped his hands together, instantly getting the attention of all the Genin. "There is going to be a very important meeting tomorrow at eleven hundred hours (11:00 AM) in the Hokage office. All of you will be there with your teams and Gai's team for a special briefing. This is extremely serious and I don't want any joking tomorrow, understood?" Seeing all the Genin nodding, the Yondaime grinned and in a flash had his son trapped in a headlock. Naruto grunted and slammed his elbow into Ken's stomach while his tails worked together to pry himself lose as Ken's grip momentarily weakened.

"Alright Otou-san, you want a fight?" growled Naruto. Ken simply smirked and made a 'bring it!' gesture. Naruto obliged and shot towards his father, only to miss as the older man twisted to the side and watched Naruto shoot out the back door to the yard.

"Now, now, you know your mother hates roughhousing in the house!" said Ken as Naruto glared at him from his handstand against a tree. Naruto flipped to his feet as his father exited the house, all of the other Genin and Kudora gathering outside to watch the match. "Alright son, your mother and I were able to see you fight while we were trapped in the spirit world, and we're very proud of how much you've progressed. If you can show me how much you've improved I'll teach you the jutsu that I used in the war against Hidden Stone, Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)." The girls blinked upon hearing this, but that was nothing compared to Naruto and Sasuke's reactions. Both boys started drooling with big happy smiles on their faces. They had never seen this jutsu used before and that alone would be a real treat. "First show me how well you've mastered Shunshin, then I'll make my decision," said Ken. The two blondes became flashes of light as they darted around the yard, the only sound being the smack of flesh and the clang of kunai.

"Sharingan!" said Sasuke as his eyes changed from black to red. "Amazing, I can barely keep up with Naruto, and Otou-san is only visible for a brief instant when Naruto blocks his attacks!"

"And the two of us can't see that since he flashes as soon as that happens," muttered Haku.

"Oni-chan and Otou-san are so awesome!" exclaimed Akemi. Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened and he barely managed to grab Akemi and pull her out of the way of a stray kunai that would have stabbed the kitsune girl in the eye. Akemi stared at the kunai with wide eyes before jumping onto Sasuke's back so he could protect her from any more stray projectiles. "Thanks Sasuke-nii-san!" the younger girl said while Haku giggled at the two from behind a protective shield of clear ice that was protecting Kudora as well as herself.

Naruto's voice suddenly echoed from around the yard as he yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and five more yellow flashes appeared. Ken suddenly became visible in the middle of the yard as a barrage of yellow flashes slammed into him. The Yondaime Hokage staggered from the impacts and wasn't able to dodge in time when three pairs of arms burst out of the ground and grabbed each of his legs.

"Using Kage Bunshin at such high speeds and having some hidden underground clones perform Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu (Earth Style: Inner Decapitation) no Jutsu, very impressive son," said Ken.

"I'm not done yet!" yelled Naruto's voice. A blue streak appeared in the middle of one of the flashes as the other clones above ground disappeared. "Rasengan!" Ken's eyes widened and his hand suddenly shot out to grab Naruto and halt his movement, while his other arm blurred and destroyed the clones holding him in place.

"Excellent, I think you're ready for the Hiraishin if you can maintain the Rasengan at Shunshin speeds. But I'll warn you now; the training will be extremely hard. I'll start you on the basics of the jutsu next week, I have to get back in shape after my time in that crystal coffin," said Ken as he ruffled his son's hair. Naruto grinned and danced around in joy, only stopping when Kyuubi called everyone in for dinner.

(0o0o0)

Eleven o'clock found all the Genin waiting outside the closed doors of the Hokage office the next day. Naruto, Kiba, Akemi, and Lee were all fidgeting and eager to find out what was going on. Naruto and Akemi had tried to listen to what was going on inside the office, only to find that a Genjutsu that prevented them from listening in had been erected. Neji and Hinata's Byakugan were similarly rendered useless. The only thing they knew was the identities of the people in the office thanks to the keen noses of Naruto, Kiba, and Akemi. All of their sensei were present plus Iruka, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Ken, and Kyuubi.

"Whatever this briefing is about it's big!" muttered Naruto.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei was here on time, he's only on time for missions or life and death matters," replied Sasuke. All of the Genin immediately started thinking about what could get the lazy Copy Ninja to appear on time besides the threat of Kyuubi burning his books.

"Well, it looks like you're all here on time," said Kyuubi as she opened the door and gestured for everyone to enter the room. It was a little cramped with everyone inside, but the look on Tsunade's face kept everyone from complaining.

"Alright, the reason you have all been called here is because we have finally made the decisions for the candidates for the Chunnin rank and we'll have to restructure some of the teams," said Tsunade. All the Genin had wide eyes as they realized what this meant. "When I call your name, please step forward. Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Haku, and Uzumaki Naruto." Once all five had moved to the space in front of her desk and received their brand new Chunnin vest from Ken, Tsunade continued, "I have also created a new rank: Eisei-Chunnin (Medical Chunnin). This is a special rank for in training medic nin who have the necessary abilities to accompany a Chunnin team on missions but were not promoted to Chunnin in an exam. I am proud to make Hyuuga Hinata the first Eisei-Chunnin!" Hinata's face turned into a tomato as everyone cheered and Naruto pulled her into a hug. "Hinata, I hope you will wear the official Eisei-Chunnin belt with pride!" said Tsunade as she held up a belt with an assortment of pouches on it. Hinata took the belt and secured it around her waist.

"Haku, I also have a belt for you," said Kyuubi as she passed a duplicate belt to the dragon girl.

"As of now, Genin Team Seven is disbanded. Kakashi, you'll be doing solo missions now that you've recovered. Team Kunoichi, I'm disbanding you and sending Akemi to take Shikamaru's place in Team Ten and Aki to fill Neji's role in Team Gai. All newly promoted Chunnin and Eisei-Chunnin will be placed into a new team, Chunnin Team 20. You can still train with your old teams, but for now go meet your new team leader in Team Seven's training ground," said Tsunade. The teenagers filed out of the room, the new Chunnin clutching their vests tightly. The adults waited until all the teenagers were out of hearing range before sighing in relief. Tsunade looked particularly miserable and she stared at the closed doors as if the most precious thing in the universe was behind it and beyond her grasp. "Are we really doing the right thing by advancing so many of them so soon? They're all so young…."

"They're also the best generation of shinobi we've seen in a long time," said Jiraiya as he patted his teammate's shoulder. "Looking at them I see all the signs of the next group of Sennin, a group that will be even more legendary than the three of us were in our prime."

"I'm wondering how they'll react to who the team leader is," said Ken with a smirk.

(0o0o0)

The six newly promoted shinobi were quiet as they walked towards the training ground that held the stone of fallen heroes. Along the way villagers constantly stopped them to congratulate all of them, but mostly Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Neji, on becoming Chunnin.

"So, who do you think our team leader will be Shikamaru?" asked Naruto.

"Troublesome. Well, it can't be any of our sensei, they're all busy doing high-ranking missions for the village to keep up appearances since the battle with Sound and Sand. I suppose it could be someone like Iruka-sensei, but I think they'd rather he stay to teach at the Academy since that is what he does best," muttered Shikamaru as he stared at the clouds above them while talking.

"We'll find out for sure in a moment, we're almost there," stated Neji.

The group entered the clearing to find the examiner from the second part of the Chunnin Exam, Mitarashi Anko, leaning against one of the three logs in front of the memorial stone. Anko was happily munching on a stick of dango and looked up at the group staring at her. "Glad you guys finally got here, I was getting bored," said the special Jounin.

"Umm, not that I'm complaining, but why are you are team leader Anko-sensei? You're a Special Jounin and this seems like a waste of your skills," said Hinata.

"There are a few reasons. One is that I reviewed all the tapes for the Chunnin Exam and I know how all of you work in a team. Two, I'm possibly the only one who has enough energy to keep up with Naruto and Haku thanks to my naturally high stamina. Three, all of you are more skilled than a typical newly promoted Chunnin, thus you all need a better than average team leader," replied Anko with a serious look on her face that looked very odd compared to her usual carefree expression. "And for our first team mission we will be…."

"What, tracking down some bandits?" interrupted Haku.

"Sort of. Some of our scouts reported a group of Sound nin exploring some old ruins. When I was that bastard Orochimaru's apprentice he mentioned the ruins to me once and said they might hold the secret to great power. We're going to find out what Orochimaru wants with the ruins and disrupt his plans in any way we can!" replied Anko. "Pack your bags, we leave in an hour! It'll take us a few hours to reach the ruins and we'll investigate tomorrow!"

(0o0o0)

That afternoon found Lee waiting outside the door to Kyuubi's office. The spandex wearing shinobi was curious about why he had been summoned and barely managed to keep from bouncing off the walls. When the door opened Lee looked up to see Kyuubi smiling at him. "Lee-kun, please come in," she said as she held the door open. Lee entered the office, surprised to see Tsunade and a black haired woman dressed in furs leaning against the wall. "Lee, this is Kurotsume, one of my oldest friends and the youngest daughter of the leader of the Southern wolf tribe. She was originally on her way here to thank us for eliminating most of the Northern wolf tribe, I'm sure Neji and Tenten mentioned their participation in the battle to you, and she has offered to perform the bonding ritual with you as thanks for the indirect service we have done for her family."

"Thank you Kurotsume-sama, I am honored by your offer!" exclaimed Lee as he bowed to the wolf demoness.

"Heh, I like your guts pup. Kyuubi-chan showed me the recording of your fights, you'll make an excellent wolf!" replied Kurotsume.

"Well, let's begin the ritual," said Kyuubi as she led the two to a specially prepared room. "Now Lee, this ritual won't be too difficult, but you'll need to spend a few days getting used to your new senses and strength. After that we'll start the surgery."

(0o0o0)

The Chunnin team was roughly one hundred meters from the ruins, which was apparently the remains of an old temple, with a small camp for the Sound nin outside by an old well and a large statue with an evil looking altar in front of it. The newly promoted Chunnin had spent the night without a fire to avoid being detected by their enemies and made due with dehydrated breakfasts made using water provided by Haku and heated by Naruto. "Creepy, I don't think I've ever seen such an evil looking place," muttered Neji as he examined the ruins from a distance with his Byakugan. Hinata nodded beside her cousin, her face slightly pale as she took in some of the newer features of the ruins.

"There's relatively fresh blood on the altar," whispered Hinata. Indeed, the altar for the temple was covered in dried and fresh blood.

A slight rustling in the bushes had all of the team tensing, only to relax when Naruto let out a soft bark and relaxed. Gishou slipped out of the bushes and nuzzled his friend's ankles before turning to Anko. "I overheard some very disturbing things. Apparently an ancient monster was summoned here long ago in the past and Orochimaru believes that with enough human sacrifices the monster can be summoned and bound to his command. I'd say there are three Genin, six Chunnin, and one Jounin level opponents," reported the fox.

"Any ideas on special abilities?" asked Anko.

"Well, the Genin seem to be pretty standard, no special equipment. I noticed that the Chunnin seem to have those air cannons in their arms as well as those sound amplifiers," replied the two tailed fox.

"Okay, we need to take out the Genin quickly, then you six will each take one Chunnin while I fight the Jounin," said Anko. Her subordinates nodded and the group spread out through the forest to approach their opponents based on Neji and Hinata's reports.

(0o0o0)

"This is Kitsune, I'm in position. All three targets are together and should be taken out in a second," whispered Naruto into his radio headset as he watched the three Sound Genin catching fish at a nearby river.

"Acknowledged, take them out!" said Anko.

Naruto leapt out of the bushes and as the startled Genin looked up in surprise as he exclaimed, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The horde of clones caused the three Sound nin to tense in preparation for combat, only to freeze as Naruto made the ram seal and yelled, "Harem no Jutsu!" The sight of a horde of sexy, nude, blond fox women caused all three Sound Genin to suffer a massive nosebleed and pass out. Naruto dropped his jutsu and sighed. "Pathetic, I didn't even have to hit them. Oh well!" Naruto then proceeded to tie all three Genin up against separate trees where they couldn't help one another after robbing them of their weapons. "Kitsune to Naga, enemies disposed of, making way to target!"

(0o0o0)

"Is everyone in position?" Anko asked via her headset radio.

"This is Water Dragon, my target just ran into the woods…." replied Haku. "Wait, he's coming back… kuso, he's got Kudora! What's she doing here?"

"She mentioned she was planning on going out to gather herbs this morning," said Naruto. "I don't understand how he got the drop on her though. Her senses are as good as mine."

"Worry about that later, for now get her to safety and take out your targets! GO!" ordered Anko as she leapt from her position.

(0o0o0)

At Anko's signal, the entire group burst out of concealment. Haku managed to distract Kudora's captor with a high kick that caused the man's eyes to widen as he saw a sight most men would love to see. That was all the opening Haku needed as she dashed forward to ram her knee into his crotch. The man gasped and dropped Kudora, allowing Haku to grab the other hanyou girl and leap back. A quick diagnostic jutsu revealed that Kudora was in an induced coma caused by a certain high pitched sound frequency. She had learned long ago that a high enough sound could stun Akemi and it seemed Kudora had the same weakness. "Well, time to wake up!" muttered Haku as she gathered the water in the air to form a ball of water above the tiger girl. With a flick of her hand Haku dropped the water ball onto Kudora, who sat up as soon as the cold water hit her. The tiger girl took in the situation in an instant, quickly removing the bow strapped to her back and nocking an arrow to the string. "Glad to see you're back with us," said Haku as she faced off with the victim of her initial attack.

"Thanks, I got hit with a stupid Genjutsu trap and blacked out," replied Kudora. "I'll cover you while you take this guy out!" Haku nodded and threw a bunch of senbon as cover while she dashed towards her opponent. Kudora focused her powers into her arrow and blue electricity sprang up around the arrow. "Raisen (Thunder Arrow)!" yelled the tiger girl as she released the arrow.

The electric missile combined with the senbon distracted the Chunnin as Haku flashed through some hand seals. Ice formed in Haku's hand and took on the shape of a kodachi. "Koori no Yaiba (Ice Sword)!" said Haku as she slashed her opponent's arm, only to have her ice sword be deflected by a metal device that was very familiar to Haku. 'Shit, that's one of those things the mummy had!' she thought.

"Heh, Uzuoto (Vortex Sound)!" snarled the Chunnin as a wave of sound spun around him much like the Kaiten Neji and Hinata used so often. Haku was knocked down by the shockwave and Kudora's next arrow fell useless to the ground.

"Kuso! Suiton: Bakusui Shoha (Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave)!" yelled Haku before she exploded into a burst of water that drenched her opponent.

"Raisen!" yelled Kudora as she sent another electric arrow at the soaked Sound nin. The electricity in the arrow was suddenly intercepted by a stream of water that shot out from the Sound nin to grab the arrow head, sending the electricity coursing through his body. Haku then threw a senbon from her hiding place and ensured the Chunnin would not be getting up any time soon. Haku and Kudora then turned to aid their friends.

(0o0o0)

Neji was having a hard time dodging his opponent's attacks. The man also wore one of the sound amplifiers on his arm and used a variation of Dosu's technique to shoot beams of sound at Neji. "Onsen (Sound Ray)!" yelled the man as another sound beam barrage shot towards Neji, who ducked out of the way.

"Try this, Hirai (Come Flying Birds)!" replied Neji as he leapt into the air and a flock of chakra birds dive-bombed forwards to counter the sound beams. Each bird canceled out any ray they hit resulting in a cloud of smoke between the two opponents. Neji suddenly burst out of the smoke and slammed his palm into his opponent's head. The man died instantly as Neji's chakra surged through his brain. Neji then fell to the ground clutching his head in pain since the Sound nin had managed to fire off one last sound wave and damage his inner ear. 'Shit, I'm going to need some time to recover!' Neji mentally cursed. The Hyuuga genius managed to climb to his knees and surveyed the battle field. Neji frowned as he saw Hinata on the defensive from a Sound kunoichi who was using a whip to keep his cousin at bay. Neji carefully got up, extremely glad he had overcome this difficulty before in the Forest of Death and knew how to pace his body to overcome the temporary paralysis.

(0o0o0)

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you in little girl!" said the kunoichi as she narrowly missed snagging Hinata's ankle with her thick whip. The Sound kunoichi was dressed in a skin tight body suit covered by a skimpy yukata that showed off her figure to full effect and would have had Jiraiya staring while she slit his throat. What scared Hinata the most was the remarks the woman had been making, since she apparently wanted to keep Hinata as a pet. Hinata shuddered to think of the implications of that statement.

"Not going to happen! Even if I was into other girls, you're way too old for me you hag!" exclaimed Hinata. The Sound kunoichi froze for a second before her beautiful face was twisted into a scowl of rage.

"How dare you!" hissed the woman before her whip split apart to become nine whips and lashed out like serpents. Hinata found each arm and leg bound by two whips, while the final whip was wrapped around her neck. "How do you like the embrace of my cat o' nine tails?" asked the kunoichi. Hinata tried to break free, but even blasting chakra from under the whip only relieved the pressure a little bit. "Don't worry my pet, I'll have you tamed in no time!"

"Ryouko (Two tigers)!" yelled a voice and the sound kunoichi looked up to see a tiger leaping towards her with a blond in miko robes attacking from the other side. A second whip snapped out of the kunoichi's yukata and lashed out at the tiger. The tiger ripped the whip from the kunoichi's hand while Kudora's sword sliced the whip holding Hinata to pieces. A quick flick of the tiger girl's claws and Hinata was free. The Hyuuga girl immediately sank into the Jyuuken stance in preparation for making her move. "Glad I got here in time," said Kudora.

"Oooh, a naughty little kitten! I'll have to de-claw you before I take you home!" muttered the sound kunoichi.

"Hinata, do you want to take a break while I show her how sharp my claws are?" asked Kudora with a large vein throbbing in her head.

"I have to show her why you shouldn't say such things to the heiress of the Hyuuga clan," replied Hinata as she formed a chakra scalpel around each hand. "You go for the rear, I'll take the front!" With that, Hinata darted forward yelling, "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou revised: Naifu Mai (Knife Dance)!" before her hands lashed out towards the older kunoichi just like when she had used the chakra scalpel combined with her clan's opening points attack to overwhelm Gaara's sand shield and armor. Kudora used her tiger companion as a boost to clear the stunned kunoichi and attack her from behind.

In midair, Kudora flipped around to face the Sound kunoichi's back while changing her sword into a tiger striped bo staff with a quick swipe of blood on a small seal in the shape of a staff near the base of the blade. Kudora landed and grinned as the Sound Kunoichi stumbled backwards covered in cuts from Hinata's attack. Kudora used her staff to spin the older woman around and then performed a back flip while kicking her opponent in the head. Kudora easily landed on her feet and watched Hinata slam her palm into the stunned sound kunoichi's chest with a flare of blue chakra, instantly killing her. The Hyuuga girl flinched as the woman's eyes widened and she coughed up blood before going still, but she didn't look away. This was Hinata's first human kill and while not as dramatic as some shinobi thanks to the fight against the fiends it was still a big change for her. Kudora's hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality and the two girls raced off to aid their team mates.

(0o0o0)

"Hold still you little pest!" roared a giant sound nin as he swung a giant iron mace at Naruto. The kitsune boy frantically rolled, jumped, and flipped to avoid the weapon, knowing full well that if it hit him he would probably have all the bones in his body broken. The frustrating thing was that the chain was strong, he couldn't break it with his claws and the man had some kind of bloodline that covered him in liquid steel armor that was very strong which he couldn't cut through without Nenshousaiga, which would leave his back open to the giant iron ball.

'Hmm, I suppose I could roast him alive, but I would need to concentrate on keeping the flames from going out of control since anything hot enough to penetrate that much metal would burn down this forest in a instant. If I do that I'll be in deep trouble.' Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when a metal fist slammed into his face, sending him sailing through the air. Naruto crashed into and rolled along the ground before lying still as blood started to pool on the ground.

"Heh, got you bug!" laughed the giant as he turned and prepared to send his giant weapon towards another target.

"I don't think so!" said a cold voice. "Zantetsu (Metal Slash)!" the fat sound nin gasped as Nenshousaiga cut through his armor and cut his legs off at the knee. Naruto rolled out from under the falling giant and sheathed Nenshousaiga.

"How… that punch should have shattered your skull and killed you!" gasped the giant.

"It's called a Hitai-ate for a reason idiot, plus I have the thickest skull in Konoha," replied Naruto. "But really, you just hit my clone, poor guy barely managed to switch with me using Kawarimi in time." Indeed, the fallen Naruto had disappeared, not even the blood that had gathered remained to stain the grass.

"Finish him off Naruto, we've got to help the others," said Hinata as she landed beside her boyfriend.

"Eh, just leave him, he's not worth it," said Naruto as he turned and prepared to go help the others. Hinata shrugged and followed, neither one seeming to notice the man was creating legs of liquid metal to allow him to get to his feet and attack from behind as his giant mace sprouted sharp spikes. The spiked ball rushed towards the couple, who suddenly leapt aside. Nenshousaiga flared blue as Naruto swung it with a roar of "Zantetsu!" to sever the chain and send the spiked ball hurtling into the forest. The hanyou boy continued to spin with the blow and brought Nenshousaiga towards the ground. "Ranran Dokitsunesen (Flaming Earth Fox Strike)!" roared Naruto as the rocks kicked up by the blade were surrounded by blue fire and sent crashing into the Sound nin's body. The man staggered from the blow and only saw an arc of light as Naruto's voice said, "Ranran Shiden (Flaming Sword Flash)!" and he was suddenly looking up at his headless body.

(0o0o0)

"Why the hell did I accept this promotion?" moaned Shikamaru as he hid behind a tree. The pineapple haired teen was facing a Sound nin with the same devices Zaku had in his arms. 'Stupid long range blasts….' Shikamaru rolled out from behind his tree and tossed a flash bomb into the air, temporarily blinding the Sound nin attacking him. As the light faded the Sound nin found he could not move at all. "Kagemane (Shadow Imitation) no jutsu success!" muttered Shikamaru as he made his opponent walk deeper into the woods where the shadows of the trees allowed Shikamaru to keep his captive from escaping. The man struggled to resist the Nara boy's control, but found he couldn't break loose.

"Thanks Shikamaru, I'll take it from here," said Haku as she appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Troublesome, just get this over with so we can go home," muttered Shikamaru as he released the Kagemane.

The sound shinobi tried to run, only to hear Haku say, "Hi Jutsu, Makyou HyouShou (Secret Skill, Demonic Ice Mirrors)!" and crash into one of the newly formed mirrors. Haku darted from mirror to mirror, sending senbon at the Sound nin so quickly he didn't have a chance to block any of them. The man fell to the ground covered in senbon. "Well, that takes care of the trash," said Haku, only to find Shikamaru had hopped up onto a sturdy tree branch and was gazing at the clouds.

"Whatever, can we go home now?" asked Shikamaru as he watched the clouds float over head.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke grinned as his shuriken barrage forced his opponent to abandon his attack to avoid the projectiles. The Uchiha was disappointed with his opponent; the man was fast but couldn't use anything more than Zankuuha (Air slicing blast) like Zaku had. 'Pathetic, those three at the Chunnin exam were more of a challenge,' thought Sasuke as he unsnapped one of his Fuuma shuriken and hurled it at his enemy.

The Sound nin suddenly grinned and raised both arms with a yell of "Zankuukyokuha (Ultimate Air Slicing Blast)!" The stronger blast of wind sent the Fuuma shuriken back towards Sasuke with enough speed it seemed to slice the wind. The Uchiha boy frantically slid under the giant projectile, cursing himself for underestimating his opponent. The Sound nin slammed his hands into the ground and sent a wave of sound racing towards Sasuke through the dirt. Sasuke jumped over the attack and his hands flashed through the seals for a jutsu he knew his enemy would have a hard time deflecting.

"Katon: Goukakyuu (Fire Style: Grand Fireball) no Jutsu!" yelled Sasuke before he sent a huge ball of flame at the Sound nin. The sound nin tried to dodge the attack, only to be hemmed in by shuriken and kunai so the fireball hit its target. Sasuke scowled as the smoke from the explosion cleared to reveal a newly burned log. 'Shit, Kawarimi! Where is he?' Sasuke's scanned the immediate area and cursed the fact that the fireball had kept him from seeing his opponent's last minute moves.

Sasuke barely managed to dodge a kunai by leaping into the air, only to curse as the Sound nin appeared beneath him and raised both arms as he yelled, "Zankuuky….. gack!" Sasuke blinked as he saw Naruto and Hinata appear beside the Sound nin and each deliver a kick that knocked the wind out of the Sound nin's lungs. Sasuke didn't waste any time as he dropped towards the ground and landed on his hands. Using his hands the Uchiha boy propelled himself forward to kick the Sound nin in the throat, crushing his wind pipe. Now that all the small fry were dead, the new Chunnin all gathered together to allow Hinata and Haku to heal them up and watch Anko take on the Jounin.

(0o0o0)

"So what the heck does that snake-loving freak want with this place?" asked Anko as she faced off against the sole Sound Jounin.

"You'll learn nothing from me, so come at me!" declared the man as he drew his two kodachi.

'Hmm, Dual Style 'Nito-Ryu' kodachi… this will be tough,' Anko reached behind her back and pulled out what looked like a tube about the size of a sword hilt.

(0o0o0)

"I don't believe it, that's a chakra fang!" gasped Naruto.

"Chakra fang?" asked Neji quietly.

"It's basically a sword with a blade of pure chakra. You need really high stamina to have it be of any use, but the chakra blade can cut through almost anything! Otou-san says Kakashi-Sensei used to have one but I've never seen it, but he has one he only uses in battle."

(0o0o0)

"Well, Hebi Dokuga (Snake Poison Fang) looks like you get to see some action," said Anko as a dark green blade of pure chakra emerged from the handle. The blade wasn't that long, about the same size as a kodachi's would be, but it had saved Anko's life many times.

"You think a little glowing sword will save you?" asked the Sound nin as he shifted both of his sword's blades to point at Anko.

(0o0o0)

'Shit, if I'm right Anko-sensei might need some help!' thought Naruto. "Guys, be ready to jump in if I say so. All of us together should be able to beat him if he takes out Anko-sensei!" the rest of the Chunnin nodded, knowing that Naruto had seen many sword styles from his mother and trusting his judgment.

(0o0o0)

The sound nin seemed to blur around Anko, after images making it impossible to tell which one was the real enemy. 'Damn, Ryusui no Ukogi (Flow of the River Current)! You need to be a taijutsu specialist, master swordsman, or have a Doujutsu like the Sharingan to see through it.'

"Nito-Ryu Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren (Dual style kodachi wheeling sword dance six successive strikes)!" hissed the Sound nin as he unleashed six rapid strikes, three to each side, from the kunoichi's rear. Anko's senses gave her just enough warning to flip over the attack and land facing her opponent.

"My turn," said Anko as she darted forward, chakra fang poised to attack. The green blade forced the Sound nin to back up until he hit the evil looking altar that stood in front of some strange statue of a grotesque creature with large fang tipped tentacles surrounding its mouth on top of the body of a slug. Anko moved in to finish her opponent off, only to slip on a loose rock. The sound nin took advantage of Anko's distraction and kicked her away. The kunoichi hit the ground hard and rolled to her feet. "Alright, now I'm pissed! Doton: Hebi Torakkingu Dokuga (Earth style: Snake Tracking Poison Fang) no jutsu!" growled Anko as she slammed her hand into the ground. Instantly, snakes burst out of the ground at the Sound nin's feet and latched on to him, keeping him from moving. "Immobilizing and poisoning jutsu all in one, one of my better creations!" said Anko with a smirk before she was in the Sound nin's face and her chakra fang had sliced off his head. The head landed on the altar, which was soon covered in blood from the decapitated body. "Well, let's secure any prisoners and head back to Konoha," said Anko as she deactivated her chakra fang and began to walk back towards the rest of her team and Kudora.

(0o0o0)

"Something doesn't feel right," muttered Kudora as Anko approached the group.

"Yeah, I'm getting a bad feeling," growled Naruto as he sniffed the air.

"Is it just me, or are the tentacles of that statue moving?" asked Neji quietly. Everyone focused on the statue and realized the Hyuuga genius was right.

"Uh, Anko-sensei, I think we might have a problem," said Naruto as he pointed to the tree. Anko spun around to stare at the statue, which was changing color and the tentacles were moving around. Gishou started growling as the statue turned a dirty flesh color and two long tentacles sprouted from the side of the monster, which slithered towards the group of shinobi. (AN: This is the large tentacle fiend you fight in Tarion outside the monastery in Ninja Gaiden Black)

"What the hell is that?" asked Haku.

"It's a fiend," said Kudora. "I feel the same evil aura that the fiends we fought at my village had, only stronger."

Neji groaned as he said, "We've already used a lot of chakra to fight off our previous opponents, can we take this thing on?"

"We have to," replied Anko. "We can't allow that thing to get away!"

"I'll slice off those tentacles!" said Naruto as he grabbed Nenshousaiga's hilt and charged the fiend. The fox boy leapt into the air and sliced through one of the tentacles. The appendage hit the ground and disintegrated while Naruto rebounded off the altar and sliced off the other tentacle. The kitsune boy landed and spun around with a Rasengan forming in his hand, only to freeze when he saw the bumps on the fiend were eye lids and the monster was looking at him with dozens of giant eyes. The fiend's upper tentacles seemed to close around its mouth before the fiend spewed out several large fireballs that Naruto frantically dodged.

"Long range support Kudora. Shikamaru, stay back and analyze. Neji and Hinata, scan for weaknesses in its chakra system. Haku, hold back in case we need your medical jutsu. Sasuke, you're with me," barked Anko as she pulled out her chakra fang. Sasuke nodded and flicked one of his Fuuma shuriken open. The two charged forward, only to be hit by a speeding Naruto as the fox boy was grabbed by a newly grown lower tentacle before being thrown at his rescuers. "Shit, it can regenerate?" demanded Anko.

"Let's see it regenerate from this!" growled Kudora as she sent a purifying arrow streaking towards the fiend. The monster spat out a fire ball that destroyed the arrow, but left itself vulnerable to Naruto, Sasuke, and Anko. All three shinobi charged forward, only to find that their weapons seemed to bounce off the fiend's hide.

"Hey, the eyes are closed!" yelled Naruto. He was right; the eyes had closed now that the tentacles had been regrown.

"So we slice them off and they'll open, leaving this thing vulnerable!" exclaimed Sasuke as he leapt into the air to hurl his Fuuma shuriken at the closest tentacle. However the weapon also bounced off as the fiend shifted its body to avoid the attack. Anko had more luck and managed to sever the other tentacle, only to be smacked away by the one Sasuke missed. Naruto darted in and sliced off the tentacle Sasuke missed, leaving the Uchiha free to attack the eyes. "Katon: Housenka (Mythical Fire Flower) no jutsu!" yelled Sasuke before he spat out a swarm of fire balls. The attack hit, but the fiend barely seemed to feel it and retaliated with a swarm of giant fireballs that sent the two boys scrambling to avoid being burned. "Shit, it's immune to fire!" hissed Sasuke as he grabbed his fallen Fuuma shuriken. The Uchiha boy ran back to his comrades and yelled, "Haku, we need you to hit it with some Suiton jutsu! My Katon jutsu barely faze it!" Haku nodded and ran forward to aid Naruto and Anko.

"Come on ugly, time for a haircut!" growled Naruto. The fiend responded by raising its tentacles and weaving them through the air. A glowing circle surrounded Naruto before a wall of fire shot up into the air, trapping the fox boy in a pillar of flame. "You bastard, when I get out of here I'm going to sue you for fish bait!" yelled Naruto over the roar of the flames that surrounded him.

"Naruto!" yelled Haku as she stared at the pillar of flame surrounding her brother. The distraction cost her though since a tentacle snapped out to send her crashing into Anko, knocking them both out cold.

Sasuke and Hinata glanced at one another and nodded before charging the fiend. Sasuke flipped his Fuuma shuriken closed to be used as a melee weapon while Hinata prepared to shove a chakra scalpel into as many eyes as she could. A purifying arrow shot over their heads and struck the fiend on the base of its left tentacle, causing the monster to roar in pain. "Oh, that one definitely hurt!" said Sasuke with a smirk before he slid under the remaining tentacle to slice it off with his Fuuma shuriken. As the eyes opened, Hinata made her move.

"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou revised: Naifu Mai (Knife Dance)!" yelled Hinata as she attacked all the eyes she could with the glowing green blade covering her hands. Sasuke flicked his Fuuma shuriken open and spun it as he used it to slice a few of the eyes on the other side of the monster. The fiend screamed in outrage and as the lower tentacles grew back it knocked Sasuke away and grabbed Hinata.

"Hinata!" screamed Neji as the fiend raised the white eyed girl into the air. Running up to Haku, who had just regained consciousness, Neji yelled, "Haku, I need you to get me up into the air!" Haku blinked but upon seeing Hinata she understood.

The dragon girl made a few quick hand seals and slammed her hand into the ground just behind Neji. "Suiton: Mizubashira (Water Style: Waterspout) no Jutsu!" yelled Haku as the ground started to shake. "Hold on Neji, Koorisuberidai (Ice Launching Platform)!" exclaimed the dragon girl as a thick disk of ice formed beneath him. The Hyuuga genius braced himself as a geyser erupted beneath the platform and he shot up into the air.

Neji leapt off the platform and roared, "Gokurakuchou (Bird of Paradise)!" as he released chakra from all the tenketsu of his body into the shape of a giant blue bird that dove down at the Fiend, ripping one of the tentacles off. A fireball flew out of the fiend's mouth and Neji barely managed to land on the platform before it shot downwards to carry him clear of the attack.

(0o0o0)

"Kuso, I've got to get out of here!" moaned Naruto as he examined the flame walls that kept him prisoner. The fire had not died down and Naruto figured the fiend had cast some sort of spell to keep him in one place. "Let me see, Oka-san told me that any barrier can be broken with enough power behind the attack if it hits the barriers weak point…." Naruto's musings were cut off as he heard Hinata scream. Instantly his kitsune blood rushed through his body and he grabbed Nenshousaiga as he felt the power flowing through him. Naruto unsheathed his sword and bit his thumb to smear blood along the blade. "Nankan kuchikukan (Barrier Destroyer)!" roared Naruto as red chakra surged around the sword. The fox boy swung the sword at the barrier. For a moment the flames held and then they disappeared with a roar. Naruto leapt out of the barrier's boundary quickly in case it reformed and reached into his kunai pouch, where he found the tri-bladed kunai his father had given him and promised to show him how to use when he got back from the mission. 'Sorry Otou-san, but I have to help Hinata and I need to get up there to do that!' thought Naruto before he infused the jutsu tag on the kunai handle with his chakra just like he had heard his father describe doing when he got a little too much sake in his system and he started explaining how he invented his jutsu. Naruto threw the weapon high into the air above the fiend. The monster opened its mouth tentacles as it prepared to drop Hinata into its mouth. 'Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) no Jutsu!' Naruto disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"Let me go you sick freak!" yelled Hinata as she resorted to grabbing a kunai and stabbing the tentacle holding her in the air. The fiend decided enough was enough and prepared to release the girl, only to roar in pain as a kunai sunk into the tentacle.

"Chew on this asshole!" roared Naruto as he plummeted towards the fiend and Hinata with Nenshousaiga in hand. "Hinata, Houyoku (Phoenix Wings), now!" yelled the blond. Hinata concentrated and as the wings of flame burst from her back they forced the tentacle to release the girl. The fiend screeched in pain and Hinata noted the tentacle looked burned where it had grasped her. Hinata shot up towards Naruto and started to grab him. "No, follow my lead!" yelled Naruto as he saw the fiend open its mouth wide. Hinata's eyes widened as she saw the chakra Naruto was pumping into Nenshousaiga and she did as he said. The two plummeted into the fiend's mouth, which was immediately covered by the tentacles surrounding it.

"Naruto! Hinata!" screamed Haku. "I'll rip you apart!" growled Haku as water began to swirl around her and form into a giant ice dragon that prepared to rip the fiend in half.

"Akuma Shinka Chouin (Fiend Sacred Flame Sealing)!" yelled Naruto's voice, causing Haku to stop her attack as the fiend's eyes opened while a wail burst out of it.

Kudora's eyes widened as she felt Hinata's chakra mixing with Naruto's. 'Impossible… that's miko energy! How can Hinata-chan have that kind of power? I'll have to talk to her about this…'

(0o0o0)

"Alright, now it can't block my attack!" growled Naruto as Hinata's wings kept them both safe from the fiend's insides before he slammed Nenshousaiga point first into the ground pinning the fiend down. "Akuma Shinka Chouin (Fiend Sacred Flame Sealing)!" yelled Naruto as both teens grasped the sword's hilt and pumped their chakra into it. Pink flames surged out from the sword and blasted away the fiend's innards, quickly burning it from the inside out. Naruto pulled Nenshousaiga up and Hinata used the momentum to shoot them up into the air and out of the fiend. The two burst out of the monster's mouth just before it erupted in flames and was reduced to ash. The sight of Hinata holding Naruto as they descended towards the ground caused the rest of their team to cheer loudly as they ran up to them. Even Shikamaru had a huge grin on his face as he lightly punched Naruto on his arm.

The victorious couple was suddenly pulled out of their congratulatory circle by Haku and Neji. Neji had grabbed the back of Hinata's jacket while Haku had Naruto's Chunnin vest in her hand. "You idiot, Oka-san trusted me to keep an eye on you! Plus you've got fiend guts all over you! She'll know what you did right away!" yelled Haku while Neji was scolding Hinata for diving into the fiend.

"Ah let them be, they saved us all a hard battle," said Anko as she finished tying up one of the unconscious Sound nin. "Now let's get our prisoners back to Konoha so we can find out what Orochimaru has planned! Naruto, would you do the honors?" asked Anko.

Naruto nodded and bit his thumb before his hands flashed through some seals. "Kuchiyose (Summoning) no jutsu!" yelled Naruto as he slammed his hand into the ground. A large cloud of smoke filled the clearing and when is dispersed Kyu was looking down at everyone. "Can we get a lift home Kyu-oba-san?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, but why didn't you summon some kitsune to help you against the fiend?" replied Kyu.

"Hehehehe, I didn't think I had time, after all my sword seemed to cut through the tentacles with the most ease," admitted Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head. Kyu rolled her eyes and lifted the group onto her back and started back to Konoha. Unfortunately Naruto and Hinata were forced to sit back by Kyu's tails due to the smell of fiend guts that wouldn't leave their clothes no matter how many times Haku used a Suiton jutsu to try to clean them.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi looked up as she felt Kyu approaching Konoha. "Well that was fast, only two days. I wonder how many visitors Ibiki will be getting?" The fox woman's thoughts then turned to Rock Lee. The ritual had gone well, causing Lee to become much stronger and faster when he tested himself earlier that day. Kurotsume had promised to start training the boy in her tribe's taijutsu style after his surgery. Lee was going to be having his operation the next day, since he seemed to have adapted to his new senses and abilities nicely. A knock on the door brought Kyuubi out of her thoughts and she said, "Come in!" The door opened to reveal Ken with two bento boxes in his hands.

"It's time for you to eat, you've got Lee's operation coming up and you'll need all the energy you can get!" said the blond with a smile.

"Thanks koibito, I just wish some of our more experienced shinobi would not be so careless. I've had to reattach five toes on different people who sliced them off with a dropped kunai, monitor an idiot who mixed up and took a poison, and give Konohamaru a tetanus shot after he got bit by a dog. The only time I remember being this tired was when I had to chase Naruto around the house to get him to take a bath," replied Kyuubi as she set down her pen and accepted the bento. The couple ate together in silence for a few moments before Ken spoke up.

"I hope you have plenty of bandages and icepacks in the house for when I start to teach Naruto how to use the Hiraishin. The best way to learn to avoid smacking into the surface a marked weapon is buried in is experience and he'll only get that by crashing into every tree and wall in the yard," said the blond.

"Don't worry, Haku can make all the ice packs we need if we run out and I bought a brought home a bulk package of bandages. Not even Naruto will be able to go through all of them any time soon!" countered Kyuubi. Before anything else could be said, a knock on the door signaled a visitor. "Come in!" said Kyuubi. The door opened to reveal a Chunnin messenger.

"Your son's team has been sighted approaching the village, Kyuubi-sama, Hokage-sama!" said the man with a bow.

"Shall we go congratulate our children on their first completed mission as Chunnin?" asked Ken as he stood and held a hand out to Kyuubi.

"I believe we shall," replied the kitsune queen as she accepted the hand and allowed Ken to assist her to her feet. The couple walked towards the gate that Kyu was approaching, Kyuubi's tails snuggled around Ken's waist. The two leapt to the top of the wall and smiled as they saw all of the team and Kudora safely on Kyu's back and several prisoners. Then Kyuubi stiffened. "Uzumaki Naruto, why do Hinata and you smell like you were bathing in the blood of a fiend?" demanded the fox woman.

"Ehehehe, well there was a fiend there that seemed to require a final sacrifice to awaken and it did thanks to a sound Jounin falling on the altar. We had to kill the ugly thing and it ended up swallowing Hinata and me. I used the Akuma Shinka Chouin to destroy the fiend from the inside," answered her son while hiding behind Hinata.

"Only you Naruto, only you…" sighed Kyuubi. "Alright, everyone report to the hospital and I'll check you over with Tsunade." Kyu stepped over the village wall and easily made her way to the hospital after Kyuubi and Ken jumped onto her head.

(0o0o0)

"Damn, you guys fought a Hydracubus? Those things are tough for beginning fiend slayers and here a bunch of newly promoted Chunnin and a special Jounin took one out… I have to say I'm impressed!" said Tsunade as she read Anko's report.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama, but where are Naruto and Hinata? I haven't seen them since they entered that restricted room with Kyuubi-sama and I want to be sure they didn't suffer any negative consequences from being swallowed by that fiend…" said Anko.

Tsunade smiled and said, "Oh don't worry, Kyuubi just has to use a special ritual to get rid of the scent the fiend left on them, the Inuzuka family has already realized something was up from just the brief time Naruto and Hinata were outside. You'll get them back soon."

(0o0o0)

"Alright you two, take off those clothes and put on the ones provided for each of you," said Kyuubi as she addressed each of them inside their separate changing rooms. "Then put your dirty clothes into the designated bin." Naruto and Hinata did as they were instructed, not really surprised when Kyuubi snapped her fingers and the clothes burst into flames. Naruto and Hinata then changed into the light yukata provided for them and exited the room with their supply pouches, Hitai-ate, and weapons. Kyuubi lead them to a large room with a Hatenshi Fuuin (Eight natural elements seal) seal diagram in the middle of the floor. "Just stand in the middle of the diagram and we can get this over with," said Kyuubi. Naruto and Hinata stepped into the diagram, noting that it was actually covered by a transparent barrier to keep the lines from being destroyed by accident. Kyuubi walked over to the kanji for fire and placed her hand on it. "No matter what happens, don't try to leave the diagram, understand?" she asked. Naruto and Hinata nodded and Kyuubi smiled at them before saying, "Shoujin Kachuu (Purification in the Flames)!"

Instantly white flames sprang up beneath Naruto and Hinata, who were both surprised to find the flames didn't burn them or their yukata. Small puffs of black smoke started to appear and Naruto wrinkled his nose as one hit it. "Ugh, smells like that tentacle fiend," he muttered.

"That's because this seal and jutsu were created by the Shodaime (First) Hokage, a miko, and me as a way to destroy any traces of a youkai or fiend that might possess someone. It can't hurt the basic nature of a person, so you don't have to worry about being purified. Anything that tries to break out however, gets zapped!" at this point several of the small clouds joined together and shot towards the edge of the diagram. Kyuubi smirked as the kanji for thunder glowed blue as the cloud crossed the edge and lightning flared up to destroy the cloud. Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened and both teenagers started flapping their hands to blow the clouds away from them, causing Kyuubi to giggle. As soon as all traces of the fiend were eliminated Kyuubi released the jutsu and the fire faded. "Alright, you two can come out now," she said. Naruto and Hinata both left the circle, eager to change into clean clothes and have a good meal at home.

(0o0o0)

The next day found Naruto in the backyard with Ken while Kyuubi went to the hospital to meet up with Tsunade and perform the operation on Rock Lee. Naruto's Chunnin team mates had come to watch him learn Hiraishin from his father, eager to see the famous jutsu that had helped win the war against Hidden Stone that their parents had told them so much about. Haku and Hinata were also there to provide medical attention if Naruto kept smashing into solid objects.

"Alright Naruto, the basic principle of Hiraishin is relatively simple, but you need to have mastered Shunshin to use it," said Ken as he idly flipped one of his tri-bladed kunai in his hand. "First of all you need to be able to place a bit of chakra into the jutsu on the kunai. Then you…" Ken stopped talking as he saw Naruto fidgeting nervously. "Okay, what's wrong?"

Naruto's face paled and he stammered, "Demo… I already know that Otou-san. You had a little too much sake on your birthday last year and I overheard you telling the story of how you invented the jutsu…"

Ken stared at Naruto for a moment and then groaned, "You haven't tried to use Hiraishin on your own have you?" while fearing the answer.

"Uh…. Imsorryihadtouseittosavehinatachanslifeifididntshewouldhavebeeneaten!" babbled Naruto as he spoke so fast Ken barely managed to translate his words to, "I'm sorry I had to use it to save Hinata-chan's life, if I didn't she would have been eaten!"

"How did you use it?" asked Ken.

"I threw the kunai high above the fiend holding Hinata-chan and used Hiraishin to get to it. I then dropped down towards the fiend," explained Naruto.

"Well at least you didn't try to hit the fiend with the kunai and use the jutsu… but you're still in trouble for not waiting until I had finished teaching you the fine points of the jutsu. Since you managed to use it and not turn yourself into a smear, I want you to show me how you did it!" said Ken.

Naruto pulled out his tri-bladed kunai and tossed it into the air. "Hiraishin no jutsu!" yelled Naruto as he vanished in a flash of light. The fox boy reappeared right where the kunai was and grabbed it before it could move any further. Naruto easily dropped to the ground with the applause of his friends filling his ears.

"Better than I expected, but now we're going to work on the hard part: dealing with a kunai stuck in a tree," said Ken. For the next two hours Naruto's face ended up in many a tree trunk and many an ice pack was made by Haku to be applied by Hinata.

(0o0o0)

The red light above the operating room holding Tsunade, Kyuubi, and Lee switched off, causing Gai and Kurotsume to look up and wait for the door to open. The two had been waiting half the day for the two medical specialists to finish the operation and were both nervous about the boy they had come to view as a son. When Tsunade and Kyuubi exited the operating room they looked exhausted. "What is the verdict Tsunade-sama?" asked Gai quietly.

The slug sennin wiped sweat from her brow before saying, "The operation was a success, having Kyuubi here to assist me was a huge asset and we expect Lee to be up and about in a week."

Gai and Kurotsume's faces both broke out in delighted grins as they heard this news and the Beautiful Green Beast swung the wolf woman around while laughing before pulling her into a hug. Kurotsume smiled and returned the favor before instinctively leaning forward to kiss Gai. A quick "Ahem," from Kyuubi stopped them and they sprang apart with their faces resembling tomatoes.

Gai recovered first and gave the good guy pose complete with sparkling teeth and thumbs up. "YOSH! LEE'S FLAME OF YOUTH HAS PROVED ITS STRENGTH! I SHALL GUIDE HIM IN REVITALIZING IT AFTER HE RECOVERS!"

Kurotsume chuckled and gently whacked the green spandex clad man on the head. "Slow down Gai, he still has to recover. Plus we'll have to see if he can use chakra now, even if only a little," she said.

"Give him a week and he'll be up to training again," said Tsunade before heading towards her office with the intention of getting drunk before catching up on the load of paperwork waiting for her.

(0o0o0)

"It is time, bring Sasuke-kun to me!" said Orochimaru to the five figures kneeling in front of him.

"Hai Orochimaru-sama!" said the five before they disappeared. Kabuto stepped out from behind Orochimaru's throne and adjusted his glasses.

"Do you think it is wise to send them this soon? Tsunade will be anticipating you and have the boy well protected. He also hasn't used his curse seal's power except against his brother. Are you sure you have given him enough incentive to come here?" asked the medic nin.

"Kukukukukukukukukuku, Sasuke-kun will come to me! He'll see that Konoha is holding him back!" chuckled the Snake Sennin.

**And that's it. Next up comes the start of the Rescue Sasuke arc, which means this story is nearing completion. I don't know how many chapters are left; it depends on how much I can pack into each one. Regardless, there will be at least two chapters, then the epilogue. I've currently got a rough outline made up of the sequel, Hanyou Trials, which I'll start working on as soon as this story is done. I've already got most of the prologue done; I've just got to finish it. The sequel will be a massive crossover of this story with my Inuyasha story A Dream Is A Wish, Tenchi Muyo, Ranma ½, and Ninja Gaiden. Read A Dream Is A Wish while you're waiting for Hanyou Trials to come out, you'll need to if you want to understand Hanyou Trials.**


	20. Tail 19: Dates and Kidnappings

**Roar of the Dragon: **

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

**_Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String._**

**Naruto character birthday(s): Hanabi (March 27) Sakura (March 28)  
**

Naruto groaned as he eased himself into the hot spring at the local bath house. The warm water was soothing his sore and battered body like only a good hot soak in a nice hot spring had the ability to do. 'Man, crashing into things while using Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) no jutsu is ten times more painful than it was hitting them using Shunshin (Body Flicker) no jutsu. I think my bruises have bruises.'

"You feeling okay Naruto?" asked Sasuke as he joined the fox boy in the spring.

"Let's just say that I don't want to have to get in a fight any time soon," replied Naruto. "Have you noticed that for things Oka-san said are pretty rare we've been encountering an awfully large number of fiends during our last few missions?"

"Yeah, we've been having it rough these last few missions. I'm guessing something big is building up, but what it is, I have no idea," said the Uchiha boy.

"We need something to take our minds off things like that and relieve some of our stress… how about we have that fight we never got to have in the Chunnin Exam?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke looked interested as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Simple, you would have fought Temari and I'm pretty sure you would beat her. I would have faced Haku-nee-san and most likely would have outlasted her. That would have left both of us as the finalists in the tournament. How about we take this chance to see who would have won? We'll both be at full strength and we've improved a lot since the tournament!"

Naruto's enthusiasm was contagious and the two boys were soon dressed and rushing to Tsunade's office.

(0o0o0)

"Hmmmmm, I suppose I can let the two of you use the arena so you get the same experience as the Chunnin exam…" said Tsunade after Naruto had explained the idea to her. The real motivator for her had been Naruto suggesting all the money she could make by betting on the outcome of the match. The boys wouldn't give any hints about who would win, but Tsunade had a good idea of what the outcome would be. "I'll ask Anko to be your referee since Genma's team is on a mission right now."

"Thanks Tsunade-obaa-chan!" yelled Naruto before he gave the slug sennin a hug and ran home with Sasuke following. "See you later Sasuke, I'm going to train!" yelled the blond as he ran around the house towards the backyard. Sasuke nodded, going to explain the idea to their parents.

(0o0o0)

"You wanted to see me Kudora-chan?" asked Hinata as she poured some tea for her guest. The tiger girl had come to the Hyuuga mansion after Naruto and Sasuke had left for the baths and requested to talk to the Hyuuga Heiress.

"Yes, when Naruto made that final attack on the fiend you used your chakra to help him, didn't you?" asked Kudora. Upon seeing Hinata's nod, the tiger girl rubbed her head and continued, "I need to know if any of your ancestors were priests or miko Hinata, this is very important!"

Hinata blinked for a moment before closing her eyes to concentrate better. "Otou-san's family is pure Hyuuga, but Oka-san's family line has some non Hyuuga blood in it. I'd have to check our family records to be sure…"

"Then can we please check them? I need to know for sure if my guess is correct," said the tiger girl. Hinata nodded and lead the way to the clan archives. Kudora watched as Hinata walked up to a large scroll with the Hyuuga crest on it. Hinata bit her thumb and wiped the blood across the crest to release the seal on the scroll. The white eyed girl unrolled the scroll and placed her finger on her mother's name and started tracing her family history. Kudora soon started to shift from foot to foot, obviously eager to get some answers. "Find anything?" she asked.

"Yes, it appears my great, great, great, great grandmother was a powerful miko. In fact, it seems she made a prophecy that in seven generations her powers would be needed and her powers would be awakened in her descendant…." said Hinata.

"Then we're going to have to start training very hard…" said Kudora.

"What do you mean?" asked the Hyuuga heiress.

"Hinata, you used those miko powers to help Naruto destroy that fiend. I felt them, heck I think Oka-san might have felt them! If I don't teach you how to control your powers you could easily end up purifying Naruto, Haku, Akemi, or me with your chakra. You're lucky I'm a hanyou and shinobi trained and have learned how to separate all three types of energy from one another," replied Kudora.

Hinata looked down before whispering, "If I don't do this I could end up killing Naruto-kun?"

"Hai (yes)."

"Then let's get started!"

(0o0o0)

"Are you sure this will help me gain control of my miko powers?" asked Hinata as she eyed the water fall in the Hyuuga gardens Kudora wanted her to meditate under. "This sounds like something out of those corny samurai movies."

"Yes I'm sure, Oka-san had me do the same thing! And I have youki mixed up with my chakra and miko energy! You've got it easy compared to me! I had to meditate for a week to get this step done, you can probably manage after a few days! Now get under that waterfall and mediate!" Hinata rolled her eyes and made sure her training gi was secure before she walked behind the waterfall and took a deep breath. The white eyed girl then stepped under the falling water and focused chakra into her legs to keep them from giving out on her under the pressure of the water fall.

"Now what?"

"Now you have to reach deep within you and find your chakra. Imagine it as a swirling ball of blue and pink. The blue is your natural chakra, the pink is your miko powers. You need to pull the pink out of the blue and draw it up and send it through your body to keep you warm." Hinata did as she was instructed and was surprised to feel the warmth spreading through her entire body. "Well, that was quick!" exclaimed the tiger girl and Hinata opened her eyes to find an aura of pink flame surrounding her body. "I guess being a Hyuuga is a big advantage in chakra control and drawing out different types of energy from your body," muttered Kudora.

"What do I do now Kudora-chan?" asked Hinata.

"Well….. Now I'm going to need a few moments to set up some target practice for you that will also allow you to get used to sensing different types of energy. For now dry off and meditate on your miko powers, try to concentrate some in the palm of your hand like Naruto does with his fox fire," said the young miko as she pulled several ofuda from her robes and walking to the nearby training ground to set up the next exercise.

Hinata stepped out of the waterfall and dried her clothes with a flare of chakra before taking the lotus position for mediation. Hinata reached inside herself and easily located the pink energy of her miko powers. Hinata concentrated and watched the pink energy flow into her hands. A gasp caused Hinata to open her eyes and she saw Hanabi staring at her in surprise. "Hinata-nee-san… what is that?" asked the little girl.

"Apparently our great, great, great, great grandmother was a powerful miko and I've inherited her powers. Kudora-chan was teaching me how to focus them and I think the next fiend that grabs me will be in for a nasty surprise," explained Hinata. She then told Hanabi about the recent mission and the fiend they had fought. Hanabi vowed to thank Naruto from rescuing her big sister from the 'perverted tentacle monster' and Hinata wondered where Hanabi had learned that term. She knew Neji didn't read echii comics or books… and she couldn't picture her father or uncle reading them. "Hanabi, how did you learn that term?" asked the older girl.

"I overheard Jiraiya-sama laughing about it on my way home from the Academy yesterday! He said something about not having to do research for his next book!" exclaimed Hanabi.

"That's it, the dirty old man dies!" muttered Hinata.

"What was that Hinata-nee-san?" asked Hanabi.

"Nothing Hanabi. Do you want to see what training Kudora-chan has planned for me?" asked Hinata. When Hanabi eagerly nodded, Hinata patted the ground beside her and Hanabi quickly assumed the lotus position. "Use your Byakugan to observe what I'm doing and see if you can see me using pink energy," Hanabi grinned and activated their clan's Doujutsu to observe her sister. Hanabi watched as pink light started to flow through Hinata's chakra system and towards her hands. The younger girl's eyes widened as she saw the pink energy reach Hinata's hands and a ball of pink flame formed.

"Hinata-nee-san…. Look at your hand," whispered Hanabi. Hinata's eyes opened and she looked at her hand. The ball of pink fire didn't feel hot, but Hinata could feel the power packed into the small flame she held. "Now you can make fire like Naruto-ni-san!" said Hanabi with a giggle.

Hinata shook her head as she said, "No Hanabi, Naruto-kun's fox fire is a mixture of his chakra and youki. This flame is pure miko power and doesn't burn anything except youkai and evil. If I'm not careful I could destroy Naruto-kun!"

Hanabi's smile faded as she saw how nervous Hinata was and she hugged her big sister. "Don't worry Nee-san, I know you'd never hurt Naruto if you could help it! And wouldn't you just purify his kitsune blood? He'd be stuck in human form like just after the Chunnin Exam started, wouldn't he?"

Hinata smiled as she realized Hanabi was right. "Thank you Hanabi, you are absolutely right! I'll master this and never have to worry about hurting my precious people by accident!"

"Good to hear that, now let's get to training!" exclaimed Kudora. Hinata stood up and followed the tiger girl with Hanabi's hand in her grasp.

"Wow!" was the only thing to come out of the mouths of the Hyuuga girls as they saw numerous ofuda on trees, the moving targets used to train the Byakugan in spotting movement, and a few training dummies.

"Okay, each tag has a small bit of one of my energy types in it: miko, chakra, and youki," said Kudora as she held up three ofuda that were different from the others. One was written in bright blue ink, the next in pink, and the last one in red. "Now examine these with your Byakugan Hinata!" Hinata did as instructed and was not surprised to see flames the same color as each talisman's ink covering the paper strips.

"I see a blue flame on that one, a pink flame, and a red flame," said Hinata as she pointed to each ofuda in turn. "The blue is chakra, the pink is miko energy, and the red is youki."

Kudora nodded and grinned. "Good, your experience with Naruto is helping you here. For now I want you to infuse some kunai and shuriken with your miko powers, then close your eyes and target all the youki tags. I'll be behind a group of chakra and miko powered tags with Hanabi, so don't worry about hitting us!" Hinata nodded and pulled her Hitai-ate up over her eyes before tying it securely and standing in the middle of the clearing with some shuriken in her hands. "I'm going to activate the tags now, ready?" asked Kudora.

"Hai!" said Hinata. She felt a surge of chakra, miko power, and youki and then smaller flares of each appeared all around her. Hinata took a deep breath and let the first shuriken fly.

(0o0o0)

"Come on Sasuke, you can do better than that!" taunted Haku as she effortlessly flowed around Sasuke's attacks. The dragon girl had agreed to spar with Sasuke to help him get ready for Naruto. Sasuke was quite amazed at her speed. On the bridge in Wave Country he had thought she was fast, but now she seemed to be like flowing water. Haku almost seemed to be dancing as she avoided each attack.

"You do realize that I'm not able to hit you because I'm not using my Sharingan, right?" asked Sasuke as a kick was blocked almost absent mindedly.

"Yep! And you had better get used to not using it. What if your opponent knows about the Sharingan and somehow neutralizes it? You saw how hard it was for Kakashi-sensei to fight in the mist Zabuza-san created!" replied the dragon girl.

Sasuke grunted as he attempted a leg sweep, only to see Haku leapt over it and her foot snap out to smash into his head. The Uchiha boy shook his head as he said, "Damn, I forgot you're pretty strong since you usually stick to senbon or ranged attacks."

"Never underestimate your opponent!" was Haku's reply as she punched Sasuke in the gut, causing him to double over and gasp as the wind left his body. Haku kept coming and smashed her knee into Sasuke's chin, only to have him be replaced by a log. "Nice Kawarimi looks like that hit knocked some sense into you!" declared Haku as she dashed to the nearest tree for cover. Sasuke's response was to send a swarm of shuriken at the hanyou girl. Haku dodged to the side only to see the weapons curve around her and the tree, the wires attached to them securing her to the trunk.

"Sofuushasen no TachiWindmill Triple Blade)! I win!" said Sasuke as he appeared next to Haku with a kunai pressed to her throat. Haku tried to wiggle loose but found she couldn't.

"Very good Sasuke, now come get your reward!" said Haku with a smile. Sasuke smirked before leaning forward and kissing Haku on the lips. Sasuke jiggled the end of the wire he was holding, causing the wire to loosen and fall around Haku's feet. The dragon girl wrapped her arms around Sasuke and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Sasuke's hands slowly roamed over Haku's back, lightly rubbing the place where her Haku's wings sprouted from her back and causing the dragon girl to moan in delight. She in turn ran her hands over Sasuke's chest, marveling at the feel of his muscles and skin through the fabric of his shirt.

"Want to go out to dinner with me after my match with Naruto?" asked Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke, are you asking me out on a date?" asked Haku while raising one eyebrow. Sasuke's face turning pink was all the answer Haku needed and she giggled before saying, "I'd love to, I have the perfect dress too!"

"I'm sure I'll love it," said Sasuke with a faintly perverted smirk on his face.

"I know you will! But you forgot one thing," replied the dragon girl with an impish grin.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, did I forget?" asked the raven haired boy.

"To keep your guard up!" The next thing Sasuke knew he was face down on the ground with Haku twisting his arm behind his back. "Want to go best two out of three?" asked Haku. Sasuke's response was a grunt as he managed to free his arm and flip them over so he had Haku pinned to the ground.

"Sure, and if I win I get another kiss!" he said with a grin. Haku grinned and turned to water, leaving Sasuke cursing as he searched the clearing for her. 'This could take a while' thought Sasuke.

(0o0o0)

Naruto lay on the ground exhausted in the middle of a forest training ground. The trees around him all had large chunks blown out of their trunks and scorch marks around the various craters and holes in the ground. "Wow, you really did a number on this place," said Akemi as she surveyed the clearing.

"Yeah, I've got a new jutsu to use for my fight with Sasuke, I think you'll love it and depending on how well it works I might teach it to you and Okaa-san since the two of you are the only ones who could use it," said Naruto with a grin.

"Cool, now come on, Okaa-san is making pork cutlets for dinner tonight," said the fox girl as she reached down to help her big brother up.

"Thanks," said Naruto as he climbed to his feet before swinging Akemi up so she was riding on his back. The fox girl giggled and hugged her brother as he started walking back to the house. "So, how do you like being on team ten with Ino and Chouji?" he asked.

"Well, aside from Asuma-sensei's smoking habits I like them a lot! Ino-chan promised to take me shopping if I ever needed something special for a date with Ki-uummm….."

"Hehehehe, looks like Kiba has a secret admirer," teased Naruto.

"Naruto-niiiiiii-saaaaaannnnnn," whined the fox girl.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him. But you had better make a move soon or he'll never figure it out!"

"Mou… you're so mean Ni-san! Why do you tease me like this?"

"Big brother privilege!"

"I'm telling Haku-nee-chan on you!"

"Oh? And do you want me to tell Okaa-san about who was raiding the cookie jar earlier?"

The sibling squabble lasted until they reached the house and after some searching they found Sasuke massaging Haku's shoulders as the dragon girl lay face down on her bed.

"You two had better be careful, if Ero-sennin saw you in that position you'd be in his next book before you can even blink!" warned Naruto. Both of the teens blushed and scrambled to be in less embarrassing positions. "So you ready to lose tomorrow, Sasuke?" asked the blond.

"In your dreams Naruto! I'll kick your six tailed butt all over that arena!" countered Sasuke. Both boys got nose to nose and glared at one another.

"Knock off the macho posturing and set the table!" said Haku as she pushed both boys out of the room and shut the door. "Boys!" she muttered while rolling her eyes, to which Akemi only nodded and giggled.

(0o0o0)

The next day found all of remaining members of the Rookie Nine, Team Gai, Team Kunoichi, and the newly promoted Chunnin sitting in the arena with Kudora and many of the villagers and the entire academy class. Anko stood in the middle of the arena and the Kage box was occupied by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Ken. Kyuubi had been busy at the hospital after an emergency call that morning and hadn't shown up yet.

"Alright, let's get this fight started! Would Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke please enter the arena?" asked Anko in her usual loud voice. A swirl of leaves appeared on one side of Anko and faded away to reveal Sasuke. The Uchiha boy had a Fuuma Shuriken latched onto each arm guard as well as his shuriken and kunai holsters and supply pouch for weapons. Sasuke managed to look eager to fight yet completely relaxed with his hands crossed over his chest. A sudden swirl of blue fire rose up opposite Sasuke and turned into a pillar of flame that faded away to reveal Naruto smirking at his opponent. "Okay, same rules as the tournament, killing is allowed but I'll jump in if a clear winner has been established, understand?" demanded Anko. Both boys nodded and assumed their battle stances. Sasuke was in the Tekken stance he had copied off Lee while Naruto assumed a Battojutsu stance with his hand on Nenshousaiga. "Begin!" yelled Anko as she leapt back to give the boys room. No way was she going to be caught between them in a fight!

Sasuke smirked and charged towards Naruto before leaping into the air for a spinning kick. Naruto's hand left Nenshousaiga's hilt and snapped up to grab Sasuke's ankle. The fox boy spun with the momentum of the kick and tossed Sasuke behind him. A large ball of blue flame sprang up in Naruto's hand and he hurled the fox fire ball into the air. "Naruto Ninpocho: Jouro Kitsune Bi (Naruto's Ninja Art: Raining Fox Fire)!" yelled the blond as the fire ball split into many smaller ones that rained down on Sasuke. The Uchiha boy twisted and turned to avoid the rain of projectiles and managed to avoid being hit anywhere besides the sleeves of his shirt.

"Let me show you some real fire power! Katon: Goukakyuu (Fire Style: Grand Fireball)!" yelled Sasuke before he sent the biggest grand fire ball he had ever produced at Naruto. Many of the villagers stared in awe at the size of the fire ball, which could have easily taken out a single story house.

Naruto gulped as the fire ball shot towards him and yelled, "Kitsune Bi no Tate (Shield of Fox Fire)!" as blue flames sprang up around him. Fireball met foxfire in an explosion that caused Sasuke to skid backwards even though he was braced against the ground while Naruto went flying into the arena wall. Sasuke smirked until Naruto exploded in a cloud of smoke.

'Naruto has gotten better at using Kage Bunshin. I didn't even see him make the hand seal!' thought Sasuke just before Naruto erupted from the ground with an uppercut that would have hit Sasuke on the chin if he hadn't leapt backwards. Naruto leapt towards the Uchiha boy, who spun in mid air expecting to destroy the possible shadow clone or hit the real Naruto. He certainly wasn't expecting his foot to pass right through Naruto's head, leaving him to fall ungracefully to the ground. 'Clever, using the well known fact that he knows and always uses Kage Bunshin and using a common Bunshin to confuse me, pure genius from Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja,' thought Sasuke before he said, "Time to kick this up a notch: Sharingan!" Sasuke leapt to his feet with a spinning kick to the head of the Naruto charging towards him. The clone exploded in a cloud of smoke and Sasuke rolled out of the smoke as he landed. Sasuke stood up and calmly faced the army of Naruto clones surrounding him. "Bring it on Naruto!" exclaimed Sasuke as he assumed a fighting stance. The army of blonde haired boys charged towards the Uchiha avenger and he leapt forward to meet them. A quick series of punches and kicks eliminated the first clones that reached him. Then the Uchiha boy started to get fancy. He seemed to glide over the ground as he twisted away from multiple blows, grabbing and throwing clones into the mass of attackers to take out multiple opponents at once. Sasuke mule kicked a clone that was attacking him from the air and then spun on his hands like he was break dancing while his legs destroyed several clones. A sudden crackling sound by his face gave Sasuke just enough time use his arms to flip into the air before an explosive note attached to a kunai exploded where he had been. Sasuke was tossed high into the air by the explosion's force but not burned and he quickly looked around the arena for Naruto.

Sasuke quickly found Naruto when the blond shot out of the smoke cloud for a mid air version of the first step of Lee's Omote Renge and hit him in the back to send him higher into the air. Naruto then flipped over Sasuke and brought his leg down in an axe kick to the raven haired boy's chest that knocked the wind out of Sasuke's lungs. Naruto flipped again to send his other leg into Sasuke's chest and then pushed off of Sasuke to bring his fists together for a double hammer fist to Sasuke's chest with a yell of, "Kitsune Rendan!" before the force of the blow sent the two crashing towards the ground. Unfortunately for Naruto, Sasuke recovered in mid air and punched him in the face, sending the kitsune boy away from him. Sasuke landed and rolled to his feet, knowing that Naruto wouldn't give up after such a simple blow and he was right. Naruto used Shunshin to vanish in a flash of light and circle Sasuke before he suddenly shot away from the Uchiha boy. Sasuke stared at Naruto in confusion as the fox boy raised his hand and snapped his fingers while saying, "Boom!"

The next thing Sasuke knew he was surrounded by explosions of blue flame that tossed him back and forth between them before he flew out and landed on his back. "What the hell was that?" demanded Sasuke as he stared at the black marks left behind by the explosions.

"Shouidan (Fire Bomb) no Jutsu! I dropped orbs of fox fire while I was using Shunshin and you were busy watching me for an attack. I control when they detonate and you were surrounded by them!" explained Naruto.

Sasuke grunted before whipping his hands out and hurling shuriken at Naruto. The fox boy stepped to the side of the projectiles only to curse as they looped around on wire to entangle him. "Raiton: Kassen (Lightning Style: Live wire) no Jutsu!" yelled Sasuke as a he channeled his chakra into the wire like he did for a Chidori to send a massive electrical current down the wire. Naruto let out a scream as he was electrocuted before he collapsed to the ground. Sasuke drew a kunai and ran forward to secure the win by getting Naruto to surrender, only to have Naruto explode in a cloud of smoke to reveal a charred and battered dummy of Naruto.

"Nice Sasuke, I barely managed to pull a Kawarimi during that," said Naruto from his place across the arena where he was crouched down on one knee and gasping for breath.

"So, ready to finish this?" asked Sasuke. "One final jutsu each?"

"Sure, and you can use Chidori, I have something you'll like to match it!" Sasuke immediately started forming the hand seals for the Chidori while Naruto crouched raised his arm and started gathering his chakra. The sound of a thousand birds filled the arena before the roar of a bonfire added to the din. Sasuke looked at Naruto's arm and found it was covered in scarlet flames while a large red ball of the same fire rested in his palm. "Guren Kaina (Arm of Crimson Flame)! Unlike your Chidori this jutsu can only be used by a full blooded kitsune or a kitsune hanyou!"

Sasuke didn't let it show, but inwardly he was worried. 'That's a huge amount of chakra, he could probably kill a human sized summoned creature with that much power!' "Alright Naruto, let's finish this!" yelled Sasuke as he prepared to charge the hanyou boy. Naruto nodded and the two boys charged towards one another.

"Chidori!"

"Guren Kaina!"

The two attacks met and clashed for a moment as the boys struggled to see which of them would give ground first. However neither one of them expected Kyuubi to appear beside them, grab each of them with four tails, and jerk them apart. "I've told you both several times, no lethal techniques while fighting unless you're in an official tournament! Do you want to be demoted back to academy students?" yelled the kitsune woman. Kyuubi had been having a rough day already, apparently Lee's chakra system had been changed during the ritual with Kurotsume's youki flowing through it and the spandex clad Genin was stuck in the hospital. Since it was a beautiful day he was eager to go out and train despite her orders to stay in bed. Already she had been forced to drag him back to his room in her tails and tie him to the bed after his fifth escape. Shizune was currently watching the boy and Kyuubi had arrived at the match to find the two boys ready to kill each other. She was not happy and it showed in how her one free tail twitched and a vein was throbbing on her forehead. "I'm declaring this match over and a draw on grounds of general stupidity. Now both of you get out of here!" growled Kyuubi as she released the boys. Naruto and Sasuke hurriedly deactivated their jutsu and ran off like the hounds of hell were at their heels (An: Try saying that five times fast!).

"Well that was anti-climatic," muttered Neji as he watched the two boys run out of the arena at full speed.

"UZUMAKI KEN, GET DOWN HERE!" yelled Kyuubi from the middle of the arena.

"Uh-oh, Okaa-san is pissed, we had better leave now!" whispered Haku. Akemi nodded and the two herded their friends and team mates out of the arena as fast as possible with Hinata's help. Iruka and Sakura's mother were already ushering their charges away and out of the possible blast zone.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU LET THOSE TWO START USING SUCH HIGH POWER JUTSU AND NOT BEING READY TO JUMP IN AND STOP THEM?" roared Kyuubi as the teens left the arena with the academy students.

"Yondaime-sama is in for it now," whispered Hinata. "The last time Kyuubi-san got this mad at him was when he let Naruto-kun go on a ramen eating binge while Kyuubi-san was at a kitsune clan meeting for a week. She did not appreciate finding out from Naruto that he ate ramen for every meal each day for the entire week she was gone. I think Naruto mentioned his father sleeping on the couch for two weeks after that…."

"Yeah, and judging by how pissed off Okaa-san is I think Otou-san is going to have to do some major apologizing to her and get some nice gifts to appease her wrath," said Naruto as the group finally caught up to Sasuke and him at the entrance to the arena.

"So what do we do now?" asked Hinata as she idly wrapped on of Naruto's tails around her waist.

"Well, Haku and I have a date…." said Sasuke as his face turned bright red.

"What? Mr. Ice Cube Avenger Uchiha has a date?" demanded Naruto with a huge grin on his face, only to leap into the air as a large icicle shot up from the ground towards him. "Ack, sorry, sorry, sorry, I won't say anything else!" yelped the fox boy as he dodged several more icicles that Haku sent towards him. Naruto's frantic leaps to avoid losing his manhood and dreams of becoming a father to a bunch of kitsune kids with Byakugan eyes brought him towards Hinata. Just as he landed near her, a patch of ice formed beneath his feet and he started to fall. Naruto instinctively grabbed for Hinata's arm to keep himself from falling and heard a loud RRRRIIIIIIPPPPP as he fell. Looking up he saw he had torn the arm off of Hinata's large jacket. "Gomen Hinata-chan, I'll buy you a new jacket!" exclaimed Naruto. He knew how much that jacket meant to Hinata, it had been a gift from her mother and she treasured it almost as much as she treasured the stuffed animals Naruto had given her over the years.

"That's okay Naruto-kun, I can easily fix th…."

"NO IT ISN'T OKAY! I'm buying you a new jacket and that's final!" interrupted Naruto before he grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her off to Konoha's shopping district with Gishou following the couple.

(0o0o0)

"I don't believe it," muttered Jiraiya as he finished counting out a large wad of bills and handed them to Tsunade. "How did you know to bet the match would end in a draw? You're the Legendary Sucker!"

Tsunade smiled grimly and picked up the bills as she said, "Exactly. I had no idea which of them would win so I took the draw option. And given the amount of cash you just handed over, my luck has changed. That's very bad!"

"What, how can winning be bad?" asked Jiraiya.

"Just before Orochimaru came to me with his proposition I won several jackpots from the slot machines. When my luck at gambling turns good it means trouble is on the way."

"So you think something big is coming?" Jiraiya's comment was made with a wince as he saw Ken being shook by Kyuubi like a rag doll down on the arena floor.

"You can count on it. Summon the ANBU captains to my office, we need to be ready," said Tsunade.

(0o0o0)

"So were do you want to go first Haku-chan?" asked Sasuke after Naruto dragged Hinata away.

"I don't know, I haven't had that much time to explore the village between missions," replied the dragon girl.

Sasuke considered that for a moment before grinning and taking Haku's arm in his own as he said, "Well, how about I take you for a walk in the park first and we figure things out from there?"

"Okay," said Haku with a slight blush. The rest of the Chunnin and Genin watched the couple walk away, quite happy to see them together. A sudden rumbling brought everyone's attention to Akemi who laughed nervously.

"Guess I'm hungry, I didn't eat a very big breakfast because I was so excited," muttered the fox girl.

"Looks like Akamaru is hungry to, why don't we show you our favorite place to eat? They're one of the few places that allow dogs inside," asked Kiba. Akemi blushed slightly but took his offered arm.

"Thank you Kiba-kun," she said with a smile. Kiba just grinned and led the fox girl off with Akamaru running ahead of them.

"Well, I have to go help my little sister with her kunai throwing practice, I'll see you two around," said Tenten with a grin as she left Neji and Aki alone. Team ten and Sakura had already left for Chouji's favorite barbeque stand and both of the older teens found themselves alone in the hot afternoon.

"So, want to go get some ice cream?" Neji asked Aki. The quiet girl nodded and Neji failed to notice the blush forming on her cheeks.

(0o0o0)

"Naruto-kun, you really don't have to do this," exclaimed Hinata as the fox boy led her into one of the better ninja clothing stores.

"Don't worry, I've been saving for a while and I'm happy to buy you something! In fact, I was considering a new look myself, now that I'm a Chunnin I can't be wearing 'Here I am, kill me!' orange all the time on missions! This is the perfect opportunity to get something new and treat you at the same time! I insist that you choose a new outfit for yourself Hinata-chan!" declared Naruto as he started examining the various items of clothing.

Hinata sighed in resignation. She knew Naruto wouldn't give up and she had better do as he said or he'd chose something for her himself. A dark purple outfit caught Hinata's eye and she moved over to the rack to examine the article of clothing.

(0o0o0)

"You know, I think I understand why Shikamaru likes looking at the clouds so much, it's very relaxing," said Sasuke. The Uchiha boy was lying against a large tree with Haku leaning on his shoulder. Their spot offered them a great view of the Hokage monument and the clouds passing over it.

"Mmmmhhhmmm," murmured Haku as she snuggled up against her boyfriend, causing him to blush.

Sasuke lightly shook Haku as he said, "Hey, don't fall asleep on me, I've got something else planned for this evening!"

Haku slowly opened one eye and stared at Sasuke before asking, "What do you have planned?"

"I managed to get us reservations at the Golden Dragon…." Sasuke's face was split in a grin as Haku whirled around so they were eye to eye.

"That's the most expensive restaurant in town! How did you get reservations for it?" demanded the dragon girl.

"Apparently the Uchiha name still carries a lot of respect, when I called yesterday to ask about a reservation they said they had an opening for two for tonight!"

"Whoa, they must really want to suck up to Oka-san and Otou-san," muttered Haku.

Sasuke shrugged and said, "I don't really care, but we had better make sure we're dressed properly. We certainly can't go looking like this, can we?"

Haku giggled and shook her head before rising to her feet. "Let's go back to the house so we can take a quick shower and get changed!"

"Do you want to take that shower together to save time?" asked Sasuke with a twinkle in his eyes that was often seen in Naruto when he was planning a prank.

"You've been hanging around with Naruto and Ero-Sennin too much," muttered Haku as she pulled him back towards the house.

"If I'd been doing that I would be using Sexy no Jutsu against every guy I met…. Hey, maybe that would work on Itachi and stun him long enough from the sheer stupidity of the move that I could kick him in the family jewels…. Itai!" Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted as Haku calmly grabbed his ear and pulled him along.

(0o0o0)

"Hey Hinata, what do you think of this?" asked Naruto as he stepped out of the changing room in his latest outfit. Hinata glanced up from where she was looking at kunoichi outfits and felt a wet trickle develop beneath her nostrils as she saw that Naruto had chosen a black armless body suit with built in thin mesh armor covering his chest and legs. Dark blue shin guards protected his legs while Jiraiya's Tekken (iron fist) gloves protected his arms but left his palms bare so the Rasengan wouldn't destroy them. The dark colors of the body suit and armor contrasted sharply with Naruto's golden hair and tails, while the sight of his bare upper arms showed off his muscles. (AN: Think of Ryu's default outfit in the Ninja Gaiden game for Xbox)

"I like it, it makes you look very handsome," said Hinata as she hurriedly wiped her nose. Naruto grinned and pulled on his Chunnin vest wrapping some bandages around his right leg to hold his kunai and shuriken holsters. Nenshousaiga's scabbard was then strapped onto Naruto's back. "Very nice, if we aren't careful I'll have to beat off a fan club," said Hinata.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm sure whatever outfit you come up with will make all the guys go green with jealousy when they see me walking with you!" countered Naruto, causing Hinata's cheeks to turn red.

(0o0o0)

"How does this look Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata's voice. Naruto turned from where he was examining petting Gishou's back to examine Hinata's new outfit. The blue haired girl had chosen a dark purple shirt that ended at her elbows and which was in turn covered by a thin grey sweater with the Hyuuga crest on the shoulders and back. A pair of black cargo pants held up by Hinata's new Eisei-Chunnin belt completed the look, after a few additions. Hinata had decided to try on some long black leather gloves and the Hyuuga girl had been amazed at how they didn't seem to hinder her movements at all and made her arms look great. She had also decided to wear bracers and shin guards similar to the new ones Naruto had picked out, only done in a light grey to match her jacket.

Naruto thought the whole outfit looked stunning on her and it showed as his tails started waving back and forth rapidly. Hinata was just glad he wasn't howling with delight at her new look. "You look gorgeous!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, now let's go, I promised Hanabi I'd take her to the arcade today!"

"Sure, Konohamaru is still a bit down since the death of his grandfather, so I'll bring him along if that's okay with you?" When Hinata nodded, Naruto started to dash out of the store to find Konohamaru, only to suddenly find Hinata holding his arm.

"Naruto-kun, look at this!" she said as she held up a black jacket. The jacket had flames embroidered along all the edges and reminded Naruto of his father's battle cloak. Looking at the back of the jacket and seeing it was blank, Naruto got an idea and went up to the store clerk.

"Do you do alterations here?" he asked.

"We do Naruto-san, is there anything you want done?" asked the clerk.

Naruto pulled out a small notebook and quickly sketched the design he wanted. Hinata peeked over his shoulder and saw a fox head surrounded by nine fox tails that formed the Uzumaki clan's spiral crest. "I'd like this design on the back of the jacket. Can you do the tails so they look like flames while leaving the fox head orange?" asked Naruto.

The clerk didn't reply for a moment as she examined the drawing, but then her eyes lit up and she snatched up drawing and jacket. "Give me half an hour Naruto-san, and your new jacket will be ready!"

"Arigato," said Naruto with a bow before he paid for both his new outfit, Hinata's, and half the jacket price. "I'll find Konohamaru and meet you back here, okay Hinata-chan?"

"Hai! And don't forget Moegi and Udon!"

"I won't! Come on Gishou!" The kitsune ran after his friend and easily bounced from wall to wall in an alley to join Naruto on the rooftops on his search for Konohamaru.

(0o0o0)

"Are you ready yet Haku-chan? Our reservations are in half an hour!" yelled Sasuke as he glanced towards the top of the stairs. Sasuke was dressed in a nice dress shirt and pants, though he kept his Hitai-ate, supply pouch, and a kunai holster on in case of trouble. A shinobi should always be prepared after all. A light jacket was waiting by the door since the nights in Konoha had been warm lately and he didn't feel he needed anything else.

"Just a second!" echoed down the stairs, prompting Sasuke to roll his eyes and wonder why girls always took so long to get ready. His thoughts were interrupted as a slight whisper of movement at the top of the stairs was the only clue he had to Haku's presence. Sasuke turned to look at his girlfriend and his eyes bulged at the site that met his eyes. Haku was dressed in a gorgeous silk kimono with a pink obi. The kimono was a startling ice blue that went well with Haku's finned dragon ears and tail. The snowflake pattern covering the kimono just made Sasuke glad he was the only one seeing this sight.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a Yuki-onna (Snow Woman)," said the Uchiha boy. Haku giggled at the compliment and let Sasuke help her into an overcoat to keep her warm before watching him slide on his jacket. Sasuke then opened the door with a bow. "If I may, my lady?"

Haku smiled and held out her hand for Sasuke to lead her towards the restaurant.

(0o0o0)

"Hey Hinata-chan, I found them!" yelled Naruto as he led the Konohamaru Corps towards the shop where Hinata and Hanabi were waiting. Hinata was talking to the shopkeeper and holding a bag, which had a trace of Naruto's scent on it.

"Here's your new jacket Naruto-kun, the shopkeeper just finished it!" said Hinata as she pulled the jacket out of it's bag and held it up so Naruto and his followers could see the back. Naruto took the jacket and examined it before giving off a whistle of appreciation.

"This is fantastic, I can't even feel any of the stitches or smell the dye!" exclaimed Naruto as he ran his fingers over the design and sniffed the jacket.

Hinata smiled as she said, "You shouldn't, it was all done with chakra. Remember those nin-info cards Kabuto had?" When Naruto nodded, she continued, "He used his chakra to put the data in the cards. This is a similar idea; only the image was placed on the jacket using chakra. This way the design won't fade over time."

The shopkeeper then took up the explanation. "It's a relatively simple trick kunoichi learn at the academy to allow us to change the appearance of clothes quickly. I didn't advance beyond Chunnin due to a severe injury that didn't heal correctly, but the experience I gained as a ninja allowed me to become a good designer of shinobi attire."

"Cool, when I become Rokudaime I'll come to you to design my Kage robes!" exclaimed Naruto as he put the jacket on over his Chunnin vest. Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi all let out exclamations of delight as they took in the fox head surrounded by the spiral of nine flaming fox tails. "Now, who's up for a visit to the arcade?" All of the academy students cheered and let the teenagers lead the way to Konoha's biggest arcade. Naruto bought a large number of tokens and distributed them to the younger kids, who quickly split up to play their favorite games. Konohamaru quickly made his way to a crane game with Hanabi where he managed to win the Hyuuga girl a stuffed monkey that she immediately squeezed tightly to her. Mogei was amazing older children as she easily defeated their best fighters in fighting game after fighting game while Udon proved to have a steady eye and trigger finger on a shooting game.

In the meantime, Naruto and Hinata had moved to their favorite game, DDR: Shinobi version. Basically this meant the whole machine was reinforced with the strongest materials known and the normal speed was faster than the civilian version. Naruto had tried that version once and been bored out of his wits after clearing the highest difficulty with a complete set of perfect scores. Hinata would often amaze the crowd by facing away from the machine and still managing to time her moves expertly thanks to her Byakugan. But when the couple stepped up to the machine together, the whole crowd knew they were in for a treat. Naruto and Hinata consistently held the top score for two players in Konoha for the past two years, facing down several challenging couples in matches that went through the night. Naruto grinned as he selected one of their favorite songs and looked at Hinata. "You ready to rock this joint?" he asked.

"Let's do this!" said Hinata with a matching grin. One of Naruto's tails snapped out to hit the start button and both shinobi prepared to show their moves. The techno beat of "Everybody was Kung fu Fighting" started to play and the crowd could practically see Naruto and Hinata sinking into a trance where the only things that existed were the screen, the arrow panels beneath their feet, and the music. As the arrows started moving up the screen the two shinobi didn't even seem to be ready to move until the first arrow had almost reached the top of the screen. Then their legs started moving as they started hitting perfect after perfect. The crowd watched in amazement and just when it seemed Naruto had overextended himself and wouldn't be able to hit the down panel, one of his tails shot down to tag the panel. Naruto and Hinata proved they had danced through the song before as they threw in fantastic twists, flips, and spins to astonish their watchers and still score perfects. When the song ended, the crowd went wild, causing Naruto and Hinata to bow before they focused their attention back on the machines for the next song.

(0o0o0)

"That was an excellent meal, thanks Sasuke-kun," said Haku as the couple exited the restaurant. The meal had been delicious, and the floor show featuring several elaborate fan dances had kept the couple entertained while they ate. "What else did you have planned for tonight?"

"Well, I only had one more thing planned… follow me and I'll explain when we get there," said the Uchiha boy quietly before he took Haku's arm to lead her. The two walked in silence until they reached a large gate in a wall. Haku blinked as she saw the fan symbol on each side of the gate while Sasuke took a kunai from the holster on his leg. The Uchiha boy pricked his palm and smeared the blood over the seal placed on the gate. The seal disappeared and the great gates slowly opened. The few people on the streets looked at them in shock and anger, before their moods turned somber and they looked away. Sasuke led Haku through the gates, closing them behind them. None of the watchers noticed the seal that reappeared on the gate for a brief second before fading, or the five shadows that suddenly appeared on a tree near the gate before clearing the gate and following the couple.

"Sasuke-kun, where are we?" asked Haku.

"This is the old Uchiha district. Before my bastard of an older brother slaughtered everyone in the clan aside from me this was where I lived. I've only come back here a few times for family scrolls and a few specially designed supplies like the highly flexible wire I use to control my shuriken. Sandaime-sama sealed the place up so only I and those with me could enter. I've cleaned the place up a bit so there's no blood left, but I can still see where all the bodies were lying. But someday these streets will be filled with Uchiha again," explained Sasuke. "That's partly why we're here tonight."

Haku looked around and noticed they had entered a grave yard. The Uchiha fan crest on the top of each marker gave her a good idea this was the private burial ground of Sasuke's family. Sasuke led Haku towards two particular graves made of white marble that shone in the moonlight. These markers each had a face engraved on them, along with a slight jutsu Haku guessed was to preserve the images. Looking at the faces and noticing their similarities to Sasuke's face, Haku came to a conclusion. "Sasuke-kun, are these the graves of your parents?"

"Yes, I come to visit them every year and tell them of what my life has been like. This year I wanted to introduce them to you." Haku gasped as her cheeks turned bright red and she slowly followed Sasuke's example as he knelt in front of his parents' graves. "Okaa-san, Otou-san, I thank you for watching over me for this past year. I'm a Chunnin now, one step closer to being strong enough to killing Itachi and avenging the rest of the clan and you. I saw the bastard; his organization is after Naruto for some reason. I also wanted to introduce you to someone. Her name is Haku; she's become very dear to me over the months we've spent together and I know you would have loved to meet her. Like Naruto, she's a hanyou… a mizuryuu hanyou to be exact. Like me she knows the pain of having her parents taken from her and the experience has drawn us closer together."

At this point Haku spoke up, having read the names on the grave markers. "Fugaku-san (Sasuke's father), Mikoto-san (Sasuke's mother) … Sasuke-kun has told me much about you. I wish that I could have met you in person. I swear that I will help Sasuke avenge you and your clan." Maybe it was a trick of the moonlight, but Haku could have sworn both of the carvings were smiling at her. "Sasuke-kun is very dear to me. He comforted me when I lost Zabuza-sama and showed me how much I had to live for. I know my love for his is strong and I want to help him succeed in his goal to restore the Uchiha clan." At this statement, Haku could have sworn she heard a quiet whisper of "Grandbabies!" from the grave of Sasuke's mother. "I promise to make you proud and I hope you come to view me as a daughter," she finished before bowing again. Both Sasuke and Haku stood up and bowed once again to the graves before walking away hand in hand. If they had looked back they would have seen the ghostly images of Sasuke's parents smiling at them before they faded away and two white butterflies flew up into the air.

As Sasuke and Haku reached the middle of the first intersection on their way back out of the Uchiha district, five people leapt out of concealment and onto the streets around them. Two stood in front of the couple blocking their path, while one stood in each of the other streets cutting off escape in those directions. Sasuke and Haku instantly went back to back, Sasuke drawing his kunai and activating his Sharingan while Haku cursed herself for not slipping some senbon into the kimono's sleeves. "Who the hell are you?" snarled Sasuke as he took in their strange appearances, especially the sound Hitai-ate on one of them.

"The Sound Five, East Gate's Kidoumaru," said a six armed man.

"The same, South Gate's Jiroubou," replied a large fat man with a mohawk.

"The same, West Gate's Sakon," stated a man that seemed to have a second identical head behind his own. He was one of the ones blocking their progress forward, but his companion stayed silent.

"The same, North Gate's Tayuya," answered the only girl of the group.

"The Leader of Orochimaru-sama's personal guards, Kaguya Kimimaro," stated the man next to Sakon, causing Haku to snarl in hatred.

"Kaguya… it's the fault of your clan that Hidden Mist turned on the other clans with Bloodlines, because of you my mother and father were killed for existing!" she growled, her hanyou features tearing through her kimono. Before she could make a move, all five of the Sound shinobi blurred as they moved to attack. Sasuke managed to block an attack from Kidoumaru, using the six armed man's body as a platform to kick Sakon in the chest in mid-air and behind him, causing Tayuya to dodge to the side and halt her attack on Haku. Jiroubou charged forward, massive fist cocked to deliver a knockout blow, only to have Haku dash around Sasuke and duck under his blow to throw him into the newly launched Kidoumaru, sending all four Sound nins to the ground in a heap. Kimimaro darted towards the recovering Haku, only to leap aside as Sasuke launched a Grand Fireball at him. Haku cursed as she saw the other four Sound nin had pulled a Kawarimi on them, and were now behind Kimimaro.

"You can't take both of us on without drawing the attention of the ANBU forces, give up!" snarled Sasuke.

"That would be true, except for the fact we enclosed the entire district in a massive Genjutsu that will keep everything that happens here from being heard or seen," said Kimimaro. "When Orochimaru-sama killed that weak Sandaime-Hokage, the seal on this district was broken and some of our spies modified the seal in preparation for tonight."

"If you come with us we'll spare the girl," said Jiroubou.

"Come to Orochimaru? Forget it! First of all he gives me this weird hickey in the Forest of Death, nearly kills my team mates and family, he kills the Sandaime, and I find out he wants my body? No way am I going near a gay pedophile!" yelled Sasuke.

"How dare you say such things about Orochimaru-sama!" yelled Sakon before he rushed forward, intending to teach Sasuke a lesson. Sasuke easily read the move with his Sharingan and ducked under Sakon's punch to kick him up into the air.

Before the two headed Sound nin could react, Sasuke was behind him and slamming an axe kick into his chest, followed by a spinning back fist, a straight punch to the gut, and a final axe kick with a yell of, "Shishi Rendan!" A huge cloud of smoke obscured the final moments of the combo as the two combatants hit the ground, but Haku knew Sasuke had landed every blow. Therefore, she was shocked to see Sakon holding Sasuke by his leg.

"Hah, why would Orochimaru-sama want some weak-ass like you, Kimimaro has much more potential.

"Put him down!" growled Haku before she charged towards Sakon, only to have Kidoumaru appear before her and spit out a web that pinned her to a wall. The next thing she knew several spikes that she recognized as sharpened bones stabbed into her. There was one per limb and a fifth one in her chest. It had missed her heart, but she could tell it had punctured a lung.

"Haku!" screamed Sasuke.

"If you stay in this shitty village, you'll never become powerful. Playing games with your friends will only make you rot," said Sakon.

Tayuya spoke next, "Come with us! If you do Orochimaru-sama will give you strength!"

"No, I get my strength from fighting to protect my friends and family!" roared Sasuke as he tried to kick Sakon.

"Feh, idiot," muttered the two headed man as he easily tossed Sasuke into a nearby wall. However, Sasuke rebounded off the wall and slammed his arm into the Sound nin's throat before back flipping into a combat stance.

"I'm not going with you bastards! Go tell that snake freak it'll be a cold day in Hell before he gets my body!" growled Sasuke, his anger over Haku's near death situation growing stronger as he saw the tears of pain on her face. The Uchiha boy suddenly let out a gasp as he felt a rush of dark chakra through his body. 'Impossible, Kyuubi-okka-san sealed the curse seal away! How is it activating?' thought Sasuke as the marks of the curse seal started to spread across his body.

"Heh, the drug is starting to take effect!" said Jiroubou.

"Yes, he never suspected a thing," said Sakon as he pulled some small metal finger claws off of the hand that had been gripping Sasuke. "Some of Orochimaru's blood in a simple poison sac on these to allow me to inject it into your blood stream and the curse seal gains new strength."

"Your anger will make the seal grow more powerful and since you don't have control over it like we have over ours you'll be lost forever. Once the curse seal has consumed your body, you will lose your sense of self forever," said Kidoumaru.

"Your only hope is this," said Kimimaro as he stepped forward and held up a bottle of small black pills in Sasuke's face. "Seishingan (Psychostimulant drug), if you drink this, your curse seal will be increased from level one to level two. However the strain on your body will be so intense you will die. These four will then use their barrier skills to dampen the effects to a light coma. We will then take you to Orochimaru-sama."

Sasuke's answer was to spit in Kimimaro's face. "I'll never give in to this curse!" he growled, and he seemed to be right, as the marks of the curse seal started to recede. However, Sasuke's body was in pain from the corruption of Orochimaru's foul chakra and he led out a scream of pain. As he did so, Kimimaro flicked one of the pills down Sasuke's throat. Sasuke reflexively swallowed as Haku's eyes widened in horror. Sakon quickly removed the large scroll on his back and opened it before unsealing a large barrel with seals engraved on it.

"Hurry, or he's going to die!" snapped the two headed man. Kimimaro placed Sasuke in the open barrel before standing back as the other four Sound nin rushed forward while making hand seals. Dark mist started to gather around the intersection as the Four Sound nin shouted, "Shikokumujin (Four Seals of the Dark Mist)!" The dark mist rushed towards the barrel before it forming a solid black lid over it.

Sakon quickly bit his thumb to write a jutsu formula on five slips of paper that he hurled at the barrel. "Fukoku Hoin (Black Sealing Method)!" he yelled as the paper slips sealed the lid onto the barrel.

"Let's get back to Orochimaru-sama, he will be eager to have his new container," said Kimimaro as Jiroubou placed the barrel on his back and used the large rope all senior shinobi of Hidden Sound wore as a belt to hold it in place. The Sound Five leapt away, leaving Haku pinned to the wall.

"Sasuke-kun…." whispered Haku before she fainted from blood loss.

(0o0o0)

Naruto opened the door to the Uzumaki house after dropping Hinata and Hanabi off at the Hyuuga compound. He removed his shoes and entered the living room to find his father lying on the couch holding an icepack over his head. "Okaa-san really worked you over, didn't she?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, and while I should have made sure you'd keep the jutsu level reasonable during that fight, I'm still partly blaming you for the fact that I have to sleep on the couch tonight," muttered Ken.

"Okaa-san is in fox form?" asked Naruto. This was Kyuubi's preferred way of making sure Ken was punished, spending all her time at home in her true form. When Ken nodded, Naruto scowled and said, "Hey, I just used more Youki than usual to make the Guren Kaina have the crimson color! And it's designed specifically to counter a Chidori; I know Itachi-teme saw Sasuke use Chidori with his Sharingan so I need something that can counter it when I help Sasuke take that bastard down! Speaking of Sasuke, where is he?"

"He left us a note, apparently he took Haku out to dinner and they were going to visit his parents' graves. He didn't say when they'd be back, so we'll probably see them tomorrow morning at breakfast."

(0o0o0)

When Sasuke and Haku didn't show up for breakfast and their beds looked like they hadn't been slept in, Naruto, Kyuubi, and Ken started to grow worried. While the adults prepared to send out searchers, Naruto and Gishou ran to the Hyuuga compound and got Hinata. Naruto was confident that with his nose and Hinata's eyes they would quickly find the missing couple. Naruto managed to pick up Sasuke's scent at the Golden Dragon, though it was very faint, and the more easily traced scent of Haku's perfume. The trio of searchers followed the trail towards the Uchiha district, where Naruto started to growl. "I smell Haku's blood, but only now that we're right against the gate. This is bad. It takes a high level Genjutsu to fool my nose this close, so we're dealing with someone strong. Gishou, go get Okaa-san and Otou-san! Hinata, follow me but be ready for anything, assume we're going into enemy territory!" Gishou dashed off to find Ken and Kyuubi while Naruto examined the gate to the Uchiha district. "Shit, a barrier's been put up with a Genjutsu… we'll have to break it to get in!" he exclaimed. "Hinata, use your Byakugan to search for a weak point in the barrier!" Hinata quickly activated her clan's Doujutsu and scanned the area, noting she couldn't see past the barrier except for a small slit. Walking to the side of the gate she took a kunai and made a quick X on the wall where that slit was.

"Right there Naruto-kun, the Genjutsu and barrier don't fully overlap here," she said.

"Good, now stand back!" Naruto grabbed Nenshousaiga's hilt and assumed a Battojutsu stance while facing the mark. "Nankan kuchikukan (Barrier Destroyer)!" roared Naruto as he unsheathed the blade, which glowed purple due to the mix of chakra and youki Naruto pumped into it, and swung it up along the mark. Hinata's eyes widened as she saw a blue slash appear above the X mark and then the slash grew bigger and bigger until the whole barrier was destroyed. The seal on the gate faded and Naruto quickly pushed them open and started following the scent of Haku's blood with Hinata on his tails. Naruto skidded around a corner and his face paled. Hinata followed his gaze and gasped when she saw Haku pinned to the wall. "Haku-nee-chan!" screamed Naruto. But before he could race forward and pull the stakes pinning Haku to the wall out, Hinata grabbed his arm.

"Naruto-kun, if you rip those out you could re-open the wounds and cause her to bleed to death! The stains on her kimono aren't growing any larger so the blood has stopped flowing. I can see her breathing, so she isn't dead. Let me stabilize her while you climb up on the wall to signal to your parents where we are." Naruto nodded and ran up the wall while Hinata turned her attention to Haku.

(0o0o0)

Haku drifted in a sea of calmness. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, but she felt happy and at peace. The feeling of a presence beside her caused the dragon girl to open her eyes. Staring down at her were two faces she thought she'd never see again. "Okaa-san, Otou-san!" squealed Haku before she leapt up and hugger her parents. Her fears that they were dream memories that would fade away at her touch proved to be false as her parents embraced her. "If this is a dream I don't want it to end," whispered Haku. The feeling of a hand on her shoulder caused her to turn around and let out another cry of delight. "Zabuza-san!" Zabuza was promptly tackled to the ground in a super glomp that had Haku's parents chuckling. When Haku finally released Zabuza, her eyes were sad as she said, "This isn't a dream, is it?"

"No aijou (one's beloved daughter), I'm afraid it isn't a dream," said her mother.

"You've lost a lot of blood and it's only my heritage that is keeping you from fully joining us," said her father.

"Haku, you will always be my youjo (Adopted daughter) along with Akemi, and I'm very proud of what you both have accomplished in Konoha," said Zabuza. "If I could have been there I'd have shown those bastards what happens when you harm those the Demon of the Mist watched over!"

Haku suddenly felt a slight tugging on her body and her guess was confirmed when her mother said, "It seems Hinata has started to heal you, we don't have much time left together. Before you go, your father has gift for you."

"This is the inheritance I wanted to pass down to you about now if we had lived," said her father sadly before he shifted to his dragon form before pulling one of his fangs out. He handed this fang to Haku while saying, "This fang will return with you to the mortal world, now I want you to memorize these seals," said her father as he quickly formed a series of hand seals. Haku's eyes quickly memorized the seals and she blinked when she recognized the dragon seal followed by the seals for the ice sword she sometimes used. "This will allow you to use the fang to perform one of my greatest techniques, Koorimizuryuutsume (Ice water dragon fang). It will cover my fang in water and ice to form a deadly blade. Normally I used this jutsu in my true form to increase my biting power, but I could use a fang or claw that had been torn off to generate a sword when I was in human form. While not as strong as that fang which the son of Kyuubi-san bears, the Korrimizusaiga (Ice water fang) shall serve you well."

"Haku, I know you've seen me use most of my Kenjutsu in our years together. I now give you my memories of those techniques so that you may save the one you love," said Zabuza as he held out a scroll with the kanji for 'Demon of the Mist' on the side. Haku took the scroll, which glowed brightly before being absorbed into her body. Haku instantly saw all of her memories of seeing Zabuza fight flash through her head and she winced slightly at the strain to her brain. She then had to absorb all of Zabuza's memories of learning to wield his giant sword. When the memories stopped coming, Haku wiped the sweat from her forehead and faced her mother.

"As for me daughter, I pass on to you the Kori no Yoroi (Armor of Ice), our clan's ultimate defense. Use it to protect your loved ones and friends," said her mother as she quickly formed the one handed seals for the jutsu. The simple kimono the woman was wearing seamed to melt away for a moment, causing both Haku's father and Zabuza to get flushed faces, before water surged around her and formed protective ice armor.

Haku sweat dropped and asked, "Okaa-san, are you sure you got that right? It looks like it leaves a lot of the body bare?"

Her mother grimaced before saying, "Haku-chan, this was developed when our clan lived on ships and having too much heavy armor could cause us to plummet to the bottom of the water before we could deactivate the jutsu. And ice is not as flexible as some elements are, so we don't use the full body version. If you want to experiment with the jutsu, go ahead. I just covered the bare essentials. Unfortunately, on the day we were attacked I didn't have enough water nearby to form the armor and I received several mortal wounds before your father fought his way to my side. You on the other hand can easily draw water from the very air and any plants around you thanks to your father's blood, so practice creating the armor quickly."

Haku nodded, hugging all three of her parents again. The tugging sensation started again and the hanyou girl whimpered. "I don't want to go yet!" she cried.

"Haku, it is time. Go and tell the others what happened then rest," said her father. Haku slowly nodded and started to fade away, noticing how her mother's tears were turning to small balls of ice as they fell off her face. The last thing she saw before a bright white light engulfed her was all three of her parents smiling at her.

(0o0o0)

Haku's eyes opened to find Kyuubi and Tsunade staring down at her worriedly. She could feel an IV in her right arm, a breath mask on her mouth, and hear the beep of several machines. 'Great, I'm in the hospital,' she thought. "Okaa-san?" she croaked.

"Shh, rest daughter. You lost a lot of blood. If Hinata hadn't stabilized you long enough for us to get there you would have died," replied Kyuubi.

"Sasuke-kun…. Kidnapped…. Five sound elite..." whispered Haku before unconsciousness claimed her.

A loud WHAM filled the room and both medics turned to see a seething Naruto in the doorway where his fist had embedded itself in the wall. "That damn snake bastard! He won't get away with this!" snarled Naruto.

"Naruto calm down, now!" growled Kyuubi. Naruto reluctantly did so, but the agitated thrashing of his tails told her he was barely containing his rage.

"Damn, the Mizukage is going to be arriving soon for treaty negotiations, so none of our most famous shinobi can leave right now," said Tsunade as she glanced at the clock.

"I could possibly catch up to them at full speed, but I don't know if I could get Sasuke back from them in time," said Ken.

Kyuubi scowled and said, "You have to stay here, even though you are no longer the acting Hokage you are still the one who signed the last treaty with the Mizukage and he'll want you there. I can't go because I have to watch over Haku. Kakashi and Rin are on A-rank missions, as are most of our top Jounin and Chunnin. We need to have a good amount of shinobi that will stay in Konoha."

"I think I know what to do," said Tsunade before she opened the door to Haku's hospital room and spoke to the ANBU stationed outside. "I need you to bring me Hyuuga Neji and Nara Shikamaru. Bring them to my office," she ordered the two. The ANBU nodded and disappeared. "Naruto, Hinata, follow me." Tsunade led the two to her office, where they waited with Ken for the two Chunnin to arrive.

(0o0o0)

Neji was sparring with his father for his morning training while Hiashi was correcting Hanabi's forms when a bird masked ANBU found them. "Hiashi-sama, Hizashi-sama, Tsunade-sama requests the presence of Neji-kun at once!" said the masked nin.

"Very well, you must not keep the Hokage waiting," said Hizashi as he quickly stepped back and did a few quick stretches to cool down from the workout. Neji did the same thing before dashing to his room to grab his Chunnin vest and weapons. Neji hugged his parents good bye in case he would be away on a mission before taking to the roof tops. As he neared the Hokage tower, Neji's ears picked up the sound of Shikamaru's mother yelling at her lazy son.

"When the Hokage demands your presence, you get there quickly!" yelled the woman. Neji's eyes widened as he saw her actually kick her son to get him moving out the door. Shikamaru unfortunately didn't have firm footing at this moment and went rolling head over heels into the street, where he ended up sprawled on his back staring at the clouds.

"Troublesome," muttered the pineapple headed Chunnin. His view of the clouds was cut off by Neji's face as he leaned over the younger boy.

"You were summoned to Hokage-sama's office as well?" he asked. When Shikamaru only nodded, Neji reached down and pulled him to his feet. "It is not wise to keep the Hokage waiting." Shikamaru muttered his trademark phrase, but followed Neji along the rooftops. When they reached Tsunade's office, they saw a very angry Naruto, a worried Hinata, and two serious Kage.

"Neji, Shikamaru, we have a situation. Last night, Uchiha Sasuke was kidnapped and Uzumaki Haku was seriously wounded by five Sound shinobi. The only thing we know for sure is that they were at least Chunnin level. I'd like to send a group of Chunnin with your team, but all of the upper ninja, besides the important ones that stay here, are out of the village doing missions. Naruto, normally I'd place you in charge of the team, but your emotions are in danger of clouding your judgment. Shikamaru, you're in charge. You've got thirty minutes to assemble as many worthy Genin as you can and leave immediately!"

(0o0o0)

Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Hinata left the Hokage tower at a run. "Who are we getting first?" asked Neji.

"Chouji, he's the easiest for me to work with. If Lee was not still in the hospital I'd choose him in a second, but we don't have that option," said Shikamaru. A few minutes later, the group was outside Chouji's door and the chubby boy was listening to Shikamaru's explanation. "So we're counting on you Chouji. Hurry and get ready, we'll be waiting at the front in 20 minutes."

"No offense meant to Chouji, but shouldn't I have gone to get Shino? Besides Lee and Sasuke he's the only one of us that would be considered for Chunnin in the last exam," asked Naruto.

"Right now, Shino is out on a mission with his father," said a familiar voice as a few barks split the air. The group turned to see a grim looking Kiba walking towards them with Akamaru by his feet. "I guess this is what I get for waking up early and trying to take a walk here," said the dog user.

"Well, I've heard all about it, sounds like quite a problem there," said a second voice that had Naruto wincing before he looked behind Kiba to see Akemi glaring at him. "Why didn't you tell me Haku-nee-chan had been hurt?" she yelled at Naruto as she tried to choke him to death. Naruto managed to pry her off him and Akemi ran back to the Uzumaki house to gather her gear.

(0o0o0)

Twenty minutes later, Shikamaru stood up and said, "Time's up." Standing around him were Naruto, Chouji, Neji, Kiba and Akamaru, Akemi, Ino, and Aki. The last two girls had been out early preparing their family shops for business and upon seeing the group heading towards the gate they grabbed their gear and followed after leaving a quick note for their parents and locking the shops.

"So what's the plan?" asked Akemi.

"Since this is a rescue mission, we're the pursuers. This means it's easy for our enemies to get their first strike on us. So now we'll decide on the squad formation that is most suitable to reacting to sudden strike. If anyone disobeys my orders or acts on their own it might end up killing us all!" The slightly cheery mood instantly vanished as the whole group gave Shikamaru their attention. "Kiba, you'll be taking the most crucial position of forward scout with Akamaru and Akemi. You're in front with Akamaru, Akemi will follow right behind you. You're always traveling around Fire Country, and you know our terrain well. Also, all three of you have good noses, so you can track Sasuke and detect traps by the enemies' scent. Third is me, the squad leader. I can give orders according to the situation behind Kiba and Akemi and anyone can see my hand signals. Third is Naruto. You've got quick reactions, so you are where you can assist the front and back the easiest, especially with your shadow clones. Behind Naruto is Hinata, for the same reasons since she is the medic nin of the team and will need to move towards any wounded quickly and can use her Byakugan to keep an eye on our sides. Ino will be to their left, and Aki on their right. The two of you will provide long range support with shuriken and kunai. Behind Hinata is Chouji. Even though you're not very fast, you've got the most hit power on our squad. Naruto, Kiba, Akemi, and I will make openings and you'll charge in to finish the game with support from Ino and Aki. Basically, you're the striker. Last of all is Neji. You're the rear scout, handling any blind spots on our team."

"Good plan, the only problem will be keeping in formation since some of us are faster than others," said Neji, glancing at Ino. The blond haired girl scowled and considered the merits of hitting Neji with Shintenshin (Mind Body Switch) no Jutsu until she remembered how easily he had beaten her in the Chunnin Exam preliminaries.

"If there isn't anything else, then there's only one last thing to say," said Shikamaru. Everyone went silent as they waited for the shadow user's next comment. "Sasuke is my friend and a fellow shinobi of Konoha. This is why we'll risk our lives for him! This is the way of Konoha!" All of the team grinned and pumped their fists into the air. "Now, the last thing is a quick equipment check."

'Sasuke, I swear I'll get you back!' thought Naruto as he displayed the contents of his supply pouch.

"All right, let's go!" declared Shikamaru.

"Wait!" exclaimed a voice behind everyone.

"Okaa-san?" asked Naruto as he spun around to see Kyuubi.

"Naruto, Akemi, promise me you'll both be careful. I don't want to see my kits brought back dead," said the kitsune woman. Naruto and Akemi instantly glomped Kyuubi and hugged her.

"Don't worry Okaa-san, we'll be fine!" exclaimed Akemi with a big grin.

"Yeah, and we'll bring back Sasuke! Promise of a lifetime!" declared Naruto as he gave his mother a thumbs up with a big grin.

"Hey Naruto, you sure you can back up those words?" teased Kiba.

"Believe it! (AN: This is probably the only time I'll have Naruto use this annoying catchphrase from the English version) I don't take back my words! That's my Nindo!" exclaimed Naruto. "Now let's go!" The nine rescuers took off, soon dwindling to small dots on the horizon that even Kyuubi's eyes could not track. Tears slowly made their way down Kyuubi's face as she watched the brave teens march off like proud shinobi off to save their beloved comrade. She felt an arm wrap around her and she looked up into Ken's deep blue eyes.

"Don't worry dear, they're all strong shinobi. And that's our son going with them, he won't let them die!" said Ken.

(0o0o0)

"Ah, Sasuke-kun's on his way," said Orochimaru as he felt the connection between the bit of his blood that Sakon had injected into Sasuke grow stronger slowly.

"You do realize that as soon as they find out he's missing they'll send out pursuers to rescue or capture him, don't you?" asked Kabuto.

"Kukukukukukukukukukukukukuku, trust me Kabuto, nothing can stop those five from delivering my new body to me!"

**And that's it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but most of it is original content. The next few shouldn't take so long. I don't know if I'll be able to fit all the battles into one chapter, but it might be possible. Be aware the battles might be a bit different even though each guy will be fighting the same opponent as before, but with back up. Plus, two hanyou are set to make a dynamic entrance later!**


	21. Tail 20: Konoha's Best vs Sound 5

**Roar of the Dragon: This has been the chapter I've been waiting for! The big battles! Konoha's best set out to rescue their beloved comrade! Will they be able to defeat the Sound Five! **

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

**Naruto character birthday(s): May 1, Chouji Akimichi, May 15, Kankurou, May 26, Iruka Umino**

As the rescue team bounded through the trees of Konoha's forest, Kiba, Akemi, and Akamaru all picked up a scent that Naruto caught a split second later, causing all four to frown. "What's wrong?" asked Shikamaru.

Kiba was the first one to reply as he said, "There's a smell of blood, and close!"

"Six ninja, including Sasuke, they were fighting two other ninja. But the five of them are getting further away from the scent of blood. What's our plan?" asked Akemi

"If they tried to stop them it's likely they're allies… but if we stop to help them we might not catch up to the kidnappers in time," said Shikamaru.

"I can send a Kage Bunshin to check it out," offered Naruto, his hands already forming the cross seal. Shikamaru nodded and a second later a second Naruto bounded off in the direction the two wounded shinobi were in.

(0o0o0)

Shizune glanced up from healing Raido as Naruto leapt into the clearing. The fox boy took one look at the damage caused by the fight between Genma, Raido, and their opponents and cursed. "Damn, if they gave two Jounin this much trouble we'll have our hands full!" muttered Naruto. "Shizune-nee-san, need me to signal for help?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, I need to get these two to the hospital immediately!" said the medic nin as she finally managed to stabilize Raido. The Naruto clone nodded and bit its thumb before flashing through several hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" yelled the clone as he slammed his hand onto the ground. The typical cloud of smoke made its brief appearance before being blown away by the swaying tails of a white eight tailed kitsune. At the same time, the Naruto clone turned into a chibi version due to chakra loss.

"What does Naruto-sama command?" asked the kitsune.

The chibi Naruto replied, "Take us back to Konoha with all speed, they need urgent medical attention."

"Understood," said the kitsune before she lifted each of the wounded Jounin onto her back and allowed the two remaining Jounin and Chibi Naruto to jump on her. Well, Chibi Naruto found himself stuck in Shizune's arms as she hugged him to her.

(0o0o0)

"Taken care of, but my clone was too far out of range to tell me anything else besides the fact that it was Shizune-nee-san's team before he was cut off. Sorry I couldn't get more info," said Naruto.

"Well, at least we know one thing, our targets will be more alert from here on. We'll most likely be facing lots of traps and ambushes," said Shikamaru. "Right, from now on use your eyes and noses to their full potential, we have to find them before they can ambush us. If you detect suspicious movement, don't just avoid it, analyze it!"

"Don't worry, when we find them I'll tear them apart!" growled Naruto, as his eyes turned red for a second. Hinata shot him a worried glance, but kept quiet.

Kiba and Akemi suddenly yelled, "The stench of the enemy is all over this place!" as they both caught the new scents in the clearing they were approaching.

"Everyone stop!" yelled Shikamaru. The group immediately landed on the next big branch, waiting for the shadow user's directions. "Look closer up there," said Shikamaru as they looked at a small patch of tree trunk barely visible through a gap in the branches. There they were barely able to see an explosive note that had been placed on the trunk.

"I see five more, it's a barrier seal formation," said Neji.

Akemi let out a whistle before saying, "That's some trap. If we had entered the area enclosed by the trap seals the trap would be activated. It could be fire, lightning, or some other jutsu."

"I could always send in a Kage Bunshin to set it off," offered Naruto.

"No, then they'd know for sure that we're following them," countered Ino.

"Damn, we have no choice but to flank it?" asked Kiba with a groan. Akemi patted his arm, which caused him to recover some of his usual energy. The group quickly dropped down to ground level and worked their way around the trap seals.

"Shit, we keep coming up against so many traps!" exclaimed Kiba as he carefully stepped over a trip wire.

"Well, at least the enemy doesn't seem to have much time either, I see lots of rushed work," muttered Shikamaru.

"Careful Naruto-nii-san, there's a tripwire right under your next step!" said Akemi.

"Thanks Imotou-chan," said Naruto as he stepped over the trap.

"Naruto wait!" yelled Shikamaru all of a sudden. Naruto's eyes shot down and he saw a hidden green wire he was about to step on. Naruto suddenly froze as Aki's shadow hand grabbed him, followed by Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu to keep him from moving. Naruto shivered at how close he came to setting off the trap.

"Thanks you two, I don't want to think about what could have happened if I had set that off," said Naruto as Shikamaru carefully maneuvered him to a safe position a few steps back from where he had been.

Aki crouched down and examined the wires with Neji and gave a small sound of approval. "Very clever. They left the obvious wire visible so we wouldn't notice the hidden wire."

"Yes, and it's almost impossible to see with the naked eye," said Neji.

"This is a well made trap for a rushed job," said Akemi. "That means,"

"They are resting. Either they are wounded or they're planning an ambush," finished Neji before nodding to Hinata. The cousins activated their Byakugan, searching for the five Sound ninja. Two pairs of all seeing eyes gazed through the trees until they came to rest on five ninja resting in a clearing with a large barrel in the middle of it.

"Found them!" exclaimed Hinata before kneeling and starting to sketch the area around the clearing with a kunai.

"Okay, give me a moment and as soon as I get down our strategy, we'll engage our target!" said the shadow user as he considered the positions of the enemy while Neji kept watch on them to report any movements.

(0o0o0)

In the clearing, the sound five were resting from their fight with the two Konoha Jounin they had encountered from Shizune's team. Kimimaro was the only one who had not been forced to activate his curse seal to level two and left to scout the route ahead, leaving his comrades to guard the barrel containing Sasuke.

"Damn, we're losing valuable time while we rest when we don't have much time to spare in the first place," muttered Sakon.

"It can't be helped," countered Tayuya from her seat on top of Sasuke's barrel prison. "We lose too much strength when we fight at Curse Seal Level Two."

Jiroubou spoke up next, saying, "What troubles me most is the fact we can't use our bodies."

"There wasn't any other way against two Jounin, if we tried to conserve energy, we may have been defeated," suggested Kidoumaru.

(0o0o0)

"Sasuke is definitely in that barrel," said Hinata as she peered into the clearing from a closer position. While Neji had more range with his Byakugan, Hinata could get clearer views and see through barriers more easily. Thus she was able to see Sasuke's form shuddering as Orochimaru's dark chakra surged through him. "He's still alive." Sighs of relief could be heard from Ino and Aki to her sides.

"Good," whispered Shikamaru. The teens' eyes shot open as a kunai shot towards them with several explosive notes attached. All four Konoha shinobi leapt away from the blast, but were caught up in the shockwave and tossed through the air, skidding to a stop just a short distance from the remaining members of the Sound Five.

"Eh, what's this? Poked the bush and got four bugs instead. Ugly ones too," said Tayuya, causing Hinata, Aki, and Ino to growl. Jiroubou started to reach towards the ground, only to stop as Shikamaru held his hands up.

"Hold it, we're not here to fight, we're here to negotiate!" exclaimed the shadow user.

"Hmph, then what are these?" demanded Kidoumaru before he grabbed something and gave a powerful tug on what appeared to be an invisible rope. Naruto, Akemi, Neji, Chouji, and Kiba were all pulled into the clearing. Kidoumaru prepared to slam them into the ground, but before he could do so, Kiba and Naruto each hurled a smoke bomb to the ground, masking their landing.

"Hehehehe, what good is a smoke screen? There's no escape from me!" taunted Kidoumaru. "These strings are thinner than wires, but also stronger and harder to detect. I've laid these all over that area."

"Maybe, but can they stand up to my claws?" asked Naruto from inside the smoke screen. Kidoumaru nearly fainted when the strings in his hands grew slack, indicating something had cut the strings.

"Your triple layer traps were amazing, we had no idea such a thing existed," said Shikamaru. "What a blunder, I didn't even expect the second wire was made visible on purpose."

Kidoumaru started to stand up as he said, "You guys are all…." Only to freeze and find he couldn't move. "What? My body?" None of the Sound ninja could move a muscle thanks to Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu.

"Nice job Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Kagemane no Jutsu success!" declared Chouji.

"Well, you fell into our trap, thanks for making this easy," said Shikamaru.

"Heh, you haven't seen the full extent of our abilities," said Sakon. Naruto tried to figure out why the guy looked different, then he realized the head on his back was gone. Before he could say anything, a shuriken shot into the clearing and buried itself in Shikamaru's arm, causing him to drop the Kagemane no Jutsu. Jiroubou immediately slammed his hands into the ground.

"Doton: Kekkai – Doroudoumu (Earth Style Barrier: Dungeon Chamber of Nothingness)!" yelled the fat Sound nin as walls of earth rose up and enclosed the entire group. "I'll take care of these guys, I wanna recover, even if it's only a little bit," said Jiroubou.

"Well, catch up with us as soon as you're done eating, we're gonna head out," said Kidoumaru before he placed the barrel containing Sasuke on his back.

(0o0o0)

Inside the earth prison, Kiba had tried to use his Tsuuga (Piercing Fang) to break through the barrier, only to find the wall was too thick. Everyone stared in surprise as the large crater Kiba made repaired itself.

"This is no ordinary wall," said Neji as he activated his Byakugan, with Hinata doing the same thing. Both Hyuuga gasped at what they saw.

"Our chakra… it's being sucked dry," exclaimed Hinata.

"Kuso, we made a fatal mistake by being captured before we could identify the enemies abilites," said Shikamaru as he punched the wall in a rare show of anger.

"So he wants chakra? I'll give him chakra!" roared Naruto before he released a surge of Youki mixed chakra that everyone could see. The red energy swerved in mid air and slammed into one side of the prison, from which a cry of pain was heard. 'Got you bastard!' "Everyone get ready, we're busting out of here!" exclaimed Naruto as he grabbed his right hand. "Guren Kaina (Arm of Crimson Flame)!" roared Naruto as scarlet flames surged around his hand, which held a red Rasengan. Naruto dashed towards the wall farthest from where his youki had been sucked to and rammed the wall with the scarlet ball of fire. A loud explosion shook the prison and a hole was instantly made. The group hurried to escape as they felt the enemy recovering from Naruto's assault on his chakra circulatory system and preparing to intercept them. But before Chouji and Ino could escape, the rock dome collapsed on them, while their friends looked on in horror as they saw Jiroubou with a grin on his face for crushing the two trapped shinobi by collapsing his jutsu.

"Hehehehe, at least I got two of the flies!" said Jiroubou before he slammed his hands down into the ground. A shockwave swept through the group before an explosion behind them caused them to spin around. Seeing nothing, everyone faced Jiroubou, only to find he had disappeared.

The eyes of Hinata, Neji, Kiba, Naruto, and Akemi suddenly widened as they screamed, "Behind us!" and caused everyone to spin to see Jiroubou holding up a large bolder, one that could easily crush all of them at once.

"Doton: Doryu Dango (Earth Style: Earth mausoleum Dumpling)!" yelled Jiroubou before he hurled the huge boulder at the Konoha group. Everyone started to run, but they knew they wouldn't escape in time.

"Baika no Jutsu (Art of Expansion)!" yelled a voice none of the Konoha shinobi thought they would ever hear again. "Nikudan Sensha (Meat Tank)!" roared Chouji as he crashed through the rubble of the former prison and slammed into the giant rock, which held up for a moment before shattering and being deflected from hitting the rest of the rescue team by Chouji's considerable bulk. The spinning ball of Akimichi wrath slammed into Jiroubou, who managed to remain standing but was pushed back a few feet before he managed to stop Chouji's spin. Chouji came to a stop and glared at Jiroubou as the Sound nin held him.

"Pesky brat," muttered the sound nin before slamming his knee into Chouji with a yell of, "ShouShitsu (Rising Knee)!" that sent Chouji into the air. Jiroubou then shoulder tackled Chouji with a yell of "Tokken (Shoulder Tackle)!" as he sent the plump Genin flying.

"Ino now!" yelled Chouji before the Baika no Jutsu ended due to the pain of hitting the ground. A thick vine shot out of the hole Chouji had made as he burst from the rubble and wrapped around Jiroubou's neck. Ino then appeared out of the hole, keeping the vine taunt. "You guys go after Sasuke, we'll hold him off!" yelled Chouji as he regained his footing and pulled a bag of soldier pills from his supply pouch. "Shikamaru, give these to everyone!"

"Chouji, you've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Shikamaru.

"No he isn't! We've both been training hard since the Chunnin Exams so we could catch up to you! And we're ready to show what we've got!" declared Ino. "Eeep!" exclaimed the blond girl as Jiroubou grabbed the vine and tried to jerk her towards him. Only a yellow and orange blur passing between them and severing the vine kept her from meeting the Sound nin's fist. "Thanks Naruto!" gasped Ino.

"Shikamaru is right, we can't just leave you two here!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Don't worry, we both have secret weapons for ourselves!" said Chouji with a grin.

"But that's…." whatever Shikamaru wanted to say was cut off by his friend.

"Shikamaru, take everyone else and go! If you guys lose track of Sasuke now you'll never catch them!"

Shikamaru opened the pouch of soldier pills and held them out. "Everyone, eat this, it's a gift from Chouji." The entire group ate a pill each, instantly feeling their chakra recharge.

"Thanks Chouji!" said Naruto. "You and Ino kick his ass!"

"You two better catch up to us later!" declared Shikamaru before the rest of the group leapt away.

"Heh, I'll make quick work of you and them too!" declared Jiroubou as he charged towards his two opponents. Chouji reached into his supply pouch and removed a small case holding three soldier pills, each one a different color, blue, yellow, and red. He popped open the compartment of the blue pill and tossed the pill into his mouth.

'First, the Blue Houren-gan (Houren Pill)!' thought Chouji as he bit down on the pill. Chouji's arms snapped out and though he was pushed backwards he managed to keep Jiroubou from passing him and getting to his friends. "Everyone go!" yelled the Akimichi heir. "Ino, I could use some help here!"

Ino reached into her supply pouch and pulled out a rose, preparing to use a jutsu her mother had taught her after the Chunnin Exams. While it wasn't widely known, Ino's mother had been a refuge from Hidden Grass and she was the one to raise all the flowers sold in the family flower shop. Ino flicked the rose, which lengthened considerably as she cried, "Rose Whip!" the newly created whip shot out and wrapped around Jiroubou's arms, pinning them to the Sound ninja's side.

Chouji grinned and used Jiroubou's lack of grip to flip the older ninja over his shoulder and toss him away as Ino yanked hard on her whip to make it release Jiroubou and add more force to his spin as he hit the ground and skidded across it before slamming into a tree. The chubby Konoha ninja grunted as he felt the blue pill affecting his system. 'Damn, it hurts this much with one pill!' he thought before pushing the pain aside and pulling out a string of kunai that he looped around himself. "Baika no Jutsu!" yelled Chouji as he once again expanded his body. "Nikudan Hari Sensha (Spiked Meat Tank)!" The Akimichi boy spun out again, tearing up the ground with the kunai that now stuck out of his extended body as he raced towards Jiroubou.

The Sound nin slammed his hands into the ground, causing a slab of earth to flip up in front of him. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Style: Earth Shore Return)!" yelled the fat sound nin. The thick earth wall was not enough to stop Chouji and he blasted through it, the kunai strapped to his body gouging Jiroubou's body. However Chouji once again slowed to a stop and he looked down to see strange triangle markings spreading over Jiroubou's body. "HouShou (Demolishing Palm)!" yelled Jiroubou as he landed a palm strike to Chouji's chest that sent him crashing back and dispelled the Baika no Jutsu once again. However, before Jiroubou could make a move, Ino appeared in front of him with her rose whip prepared to strike.

"Kagon Retsuzanshi (Elegant, Harsh Limb-Severing Attack)!" yelled Ino as she lashed out with the whip, numerous wounds appearing all over Jiroubou's body. The Sound nin grunted from the pain and smacked Ino towards the slowly standing Chouji, who barely managed to catch her in time.

"Hmph, let me tell you something! Whenever you gather people together, there's always a loser in the bunch. Those losers are always considered as trash, and are always used as a decoy when the situation gets desperate," said Jiroubou, "just like you two!" Memories of being teased for his weight flashed through Chouji's mind. Ino had all her rejections of love from Sasuke played through her mind. Seeing the slightly depressed look on the duo's faces, Jiroubou continued, "Hah, seems like I was right, Konoha must really be short on people, to add trash like you two to their pursuer team!"

"Ino, let's show this guy you don't bad mouth Konoha! And especially not our friends!" snarled Chouji as he opened the yellow pill's compartment. "Shikamaru believes in us…" yelled the chubby ninja as he chewed the yellow pill.

"That's why he left us here…." continued Ino as she gathered her chakra.

"That's why he let us handle this!" yelled the two in unison as chakra flared around them.

"Quite a bit of chakra, but not enough to fight me!" declared Jiroubou

"Let's go Fat Ass!" taunted Chouji as he gathered his chakra into his right arm.

"That title better suits you!" retorted Jiroubou as he charged the duo.

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu (Partial Multi Size Technique) Arm!" yelled Chouji as he enlarged his arm and brought it down on Jiroubou's back, pushing the sound nin into the ground. But the Sound nin managed to shove the giant hand off his back and slug Chouji in the chin, sending him into the air. Chouji grinned through the pain as he formed a seal and yelled, "Eat This! Mega Baika no Jutsu!" A giant Chouji did a massive belly flop onto Jiroubou, while Ino grinned from the tree line. She had been running as soon as Chouji made his move, knowing what he had planned if he needed the chakra the yellow pill would have given him. Both Genin suddenly stared in shock as Chouji's massive body rose into the air slightly.

"What a waste, I had to use Level Two on such trash," said Jiroubou. "ShouGekiShou (Rising Impact Palm)!" Chouji's massive body was tossed into the air and came crashing down.

"Chouji!" screamed Ino. "You bastard!" the purple clad Kunoichi yelled as she charged Jiroubou, her rose whip snapping out to grab him, only to be caught in mid air as Chouji landed and turned back to normal. Both Genin gasped as they saw the new change that came over their opponent. Jirobou's skin was now red, his hair was longer, and strange bumps were present on his upper arms and forehead.

"Hehehehe, this is the end for you two, no enemy stands a chance against my level two seal which gives me more that ten times my original strength!" declared the Sound nin. He suddenly yanked hard on Ino's Rose Whip, pulling her to him, and grabbed her neck. "You're the first to die little bitch!" he hissed.

"Go.. to.. Hell!" gasped Ino as she kicked him in the stomach, only to feel like she was kicking rock.

Chouji was struggling to stand, fighting against the after affects of the two pills he'd taken so far. 'I should've known that the side effects of the curry pill were this bad, I can's move with this pain. The last one I have left is the red pepper pill, but if I use that, I might die!' Chouji was brought out of his thoughts at Ino's gasp as he looked up to see her grabbing Jiroubou's arms in an attempt to keep him from strangling her. Chouji's eyes widened as he saw Jiroubou wasn't strangling her, but draining her chakra. 'I don't care if I die, I won't let her and the others down!' thought Chouji as he grabbed the case holding the red pill. Ino felt her world starting to go black, when a yell of, "Chobaika no Jutsu (Butterfly Multi Size Technique)!" caused Jiroubou to loosen his grip on her and she fell to the ground. Gasping in air, she saw Chouji with massive butterfly wings made of pure chakra radiating from his back.

'He'll only have one shot with that jutsu, I have to help him!' thought Ino as she spat a bit of blood at the silver arm bracelet she wore. The blood hit the vine shaped bracelet, which instantly started to grow. "Matatabi (Silver Vine)!" whispered Ino as the silver vine shot down her arm, towards Jiroubou, and up his leg.

"What the?" he yelled, before he saw Ino placing her thumbs and first fingers together to form a rectangle between both her hands.

"Shinranshin (Mind/Body Disturbance) no Jutsu!" yelled Ino as her spirit shot into Jiroubou and froze him. "Now Chouji!" yelled Ino from her own body, since this more advanced version of her family's technique allowed her to control her opponents but not leave her body.

Chouji had seen Ino preparing to give him an opening and had transferred all his chakra to his left hand. "We won't let our village, our team mates, or our friends down!" roared Chouji before he charged forward. "This is for belittling our village!" he roared as he slammed his right hand into Jiroubou while Ino released her jutsu. Jiroubou went skidding across the ground, landing facing the sky. Chouji leapt into the air, bringing his foot down on Jiroubou's chest. "That is for insulting our best friend!" Chouji pulled back his left arm and brought it down with a yell of, "And this is for trying to kill the girl I love! Chodan Bakugeki (Bullet Butterfly Bombing)!" Chouji's fist crashed down into Jiroubou's chest, crushing his heart and lungs. Jiroubou's mouth opened as he jerked, before his eyes rolled back and blood leaked out of his mouth. The curse seal receded, leaving him in his original appearance.

Ino scrambled to her feet as she saw Chouji start to fall backwards, running towards her falling friend she barely managed to slide to a stop in time to catch him and set his head in her lap. "You big idiot, why didn't you tell me?" she whispered as she reached into her supply pouch and pulled out an energy bar that she quickly broke into bits to feed him. She marveled at how the red pill had burned up all of Chouji's excess fat, leaving him dangerously thin.

"You… were always… focused… on Sasuke," whispered Chouji as he slowly chewed the bits of energy bar and swallowed them.

"I gave up on him after seeing how close he was to Haku-chan… I'm so sorry I never noticed you liked me," whispered Ino as she finally found a food pill and bit it before leaning over and kissing Chouji to push it into his mouth with her tongue. The formerly fat boy returned the kiss gently. Looking up he smiled as he caught sight of a distant arrow marking the way to follow the rest of the team.

"Come on, they're counting on us," said Chouji as he struggled to stand up. Ino immediately helped him to his feet and wrapped on of his arms around her shoulder.

"We'll catch up to them one step at a time," she said before they slowly started walking towards the arrow and then following its path towards their friends.

(0o0o0)

Shikamaru glanced down as a flash of color appeared below him and saw a large butterfly landing on a female boar. The wild pig didn't react, just calmly sat there. He glanced behind him, where numerous arrows marked on the trees showed the way for his two friends to come to rejoin them. For a moment he felt a stab of fear in his heart, but then the shadow user pushed that aside. 'They won't let us down!' he thought before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

"Don't worry Shikamaru, they'll be okay," said Naruto as if he read his fellow Chunnin's thoughts.

"Yeah, I know."

"We're getting close!" exclaimed Akemi.

"Odd that we haven't encountered any traps, what do you think Shikamaru?" asked Aki.

"They're underestimating us. They think only the big guy will be following them. No one would set traps against their comrades," replied the shadow user.

"That does seem accurate, we're certainly being underestimated. But, this gives us a chance," said Neji.

"Yeah, let's get them while they're vulnerable!" declared Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

The three remaining members of the Sound Five, Kimimaro was still investigating the route up to the border of Fire country, were making their way towards the border between the Fire and Sound countries. "Jiroubou, he's late," said Sakon as he glanced back behind the group in the direction they had come.

"Nah, he's already here," countered Kidoumaru as the fat Sound nin leapt out of the trees and fell into place behind the six armed shinobi.

"What took you so long?" asked Sakon.

"The flies took some time to squash," muttered Jiroubou.

"You fatty, don't be so slow!" exclaimed Tayuya. "Hurry up and carry that coffin, that's your job you inferior dick head!"

"Yeah," replied Jiroubou, causing all three of his team mates to look back at him.

"Hey Jiroubou, you're so obedient today," said Kidoumaru.

"What?" asked the fat Sound nin.

"I'm saying I can't let you carry this coffin, since you're not Jiroubou!" exclaimed the spider nin as he spun around to face the exposed imposter, who pulled out a kunai. "Sakon, Tayuya, let me handle this, you guys go on ahead!" The imposter tried to stab Kidoumaru, only to have his upper pair of arms catch and block the blow. "Jiroubou always warns Tayuya for her usage of words," said the spider nin.

"Hmph, I see," muttered Shikamaru as he dropped the henge.

"Kumo Shibari (Spider Bind)!" yelled Kidoumaru as he spat a net of webbing from his mouth that pinned the shadow user to a nearby tree. Kidoumaru landed on a tree branch and smirked at Shikamaru, before suddenly dropping off the branch into mid air before twisting to face Naruto, Akemi, Aki, and several Naruto clones as they attempted to ambush him from behind. "Don't underestimate me!" exclaimed the spider nin before he gathered a ball of webbing in his hand and shot it at the ambushers with a cry of "Kumo Sokai (Spider Web Unfold)!" The ball of webbing opened to become a massive web that captured all of the Konoha shinobi, leaving them trapped.

With a cry of "Gatsuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!" two tornadoes suddenly burst out of the trees, heading right for Kidoumaru in midair. The spider ninja suddenly pulled on previously unseen strands of webbing and avoided the attacks, which dispersed into Kiba and Akamaru in their feral human modes. "Heh, like we'll let you get away!" yelled Kiba as he prepared to attack again.

"Heh, my words exactly, look at your feet," said the Sound nin. Kiba looked down as saw webbing covering the branch and his legs, pinning him down, which caused him to say some words his mother would not have liked hearing.

"Damn you, you think that you've caught us with this little thing?" demanded Kiba.

"Loser, keep on whining," said Kidoumaru, unaware of two white eyed shinobi silently leaping towards his exposed back with their palms ready to deliver fatal Jyuuken strikes. The spider nin's danger sense suddenly went off as he saw Kiba smirk and he barely managed to release his held web strands to drop below Neji and Hinata's attacks just before they would have connected with his back. The spider nin spun and released another Kumo Sokai that trapped the Hyuuga cousins in mid air. "I'm going to cocoon you here!" declared the six armed shinobi as he spun his webbing around the cousins and trapped them in separate cocoons.

"Damn it!" cursed one of the Naruto clones as it used its free arm to grab a kunai and attempt to cut the webbing, only to find the webbing would not fall to the sharp blade. "What's with this web?" yelled the boy.

"Heh, my web is unbreakable," said Kidoumaru as he relaxed slightly while hanging from several strands of webbing. "It can even support two elephants." The Sound nin then realized that all of the Naruto clones were stuck in the web and not illusions. "Heh, isn't that interesting, Kage Bunshin… you'll be lots of fun to play with!" Kidoumaru took a deep breath before pulling six thick strands of golden webbing from his mouth that formed into curved throwing blades before hardening. "Let's play guess the real body game, shall we? I'll let your two little friends live to see you die, then kill them. If you last long enough, you'll die with them. Kidoumaru rapidly hurled his throwing blades, turning them into spinning disks of death that homed in on one Naruto after another, revealing the first three were shadow clones. "Damn, you're lucky kid, you made it to the end. But now all three of you will die!" With that, Kidoumaru hurled his remaining three blades and impaled Aki, Akemi, and Naruto. His smirk of victory turned into a look of confusion as all three turned into smoke. 'What the?' flashed through Kidoumaru's head before he spun around to block a punch from Naruto and Akemi as they leapt out of the trees while a Miniature Fuuma shuriken almost hit his neck . The spider nin shot towards the ground from the force of the punches, but used some more of his web strands to stop his fall and lasso both kitsune siblings and Aki, who had leapt out behind them to attempt to disable him from a distance with the shuriken. "You pawns are very good at hiding until you have an opportunity to attack, to think you could think so far ahead," said the Sound shinobi before he pulled on his lasso. "But when you run out of ideas, you die!" Naruto, Akemi, and Aki were jerked down towards the Sound nin. All three braced for impact, only to have the web strands severed by Hinata and Neji as they caught their friends and leapt back to where the now free Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru were standing.

"Thanks for delaying him and buying us time Naruto," said Neji as he set Aki down on the branch.

"You brats! How did you?" demanded the Sound nin.

"Things made from chakra, will be destroyed by simply putting chakra into them. They're meaningless in front of our Jyuuken!" declared Hinata. "Only Neji-ni-san and I can handle him, the rest of you go ahead!"

"No Hinata-sama, you must go with them! If he gets away from me you will be needed to free the others! Plus, you and Naruto are the only ones who can bring Sasuke out of the darkness he is trapped in. If you don't go now you'll lose this chance! I'll catch up with you guys later!"

The team glanced at one another, before they leapt away, all except for Aki. "Neji-san, this one is a long range fighter. You'll need some long range back up," said the quiet girl. Neji nodded, accepting the fact that Aki was staying. He had learned that when she had her mind made up about something she could be incredibly stubborn thanks to a year of trying to bargain with her on prices for kunai and shuriken at her family's store. He also knew Aki was very smart, the smartest of the kunoichi from their class, and was second only to Tenten in throwing weapons. He could trust her to watch his back.

Both shinobi suddenly tensed as Kidoumaru suddenly flung long thick strands of webbing towards their escaping friends. Neji intercepted the attack, his hands glowing blue with chakra before he spun around, shredding the strands. The escaping Konoha shinobi glanced back at the surge of chakra and saw how close they had come to being captured. Kidoumaru stared in surprise, then quickly leapt over a small swarm of kunai that Aki threw at him. The spider nin spat out a swarm of webs that Aki barely avoided, while Neji managed to dodge the first few only to be captured and pinned to a tree. "Kuso!" muttered the Hyuuga genius.

"You're talented in the use of chakra, and you have sharp eyes. You emit needle like chakra from the Tenketsu (Opening points) in your hands and cut through the thinnest part of my webs with amazing precision. But with your annoying arms out of the way, there won't be any cutting being done!" declared Kidoumaru as he leapt towards Neji.

However, a giant shadow fist smashed into the spider shinobi and sent him crashing into a nearby tree. "You forget one of the most basic rules of the shinobi, never take your eyes off an opponent unless you know they're dead," said Aki as her shadow fist returned to her. Any comment Kidoumaru would have made was interrupted by a flare of chakra as Neji blasted chakra through all of his Tenketsu and destroyed the webbing holding him to the tree. The Hyuuga boy darted forward before crouching in front of the stunned Kidoumaru.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. It's not just my hands, I can emit chakra from every Tenketsu of my body. And by the way," here Neji slipped into a stance feared by any who had witnessed it before and lived to tell the tale, "It's game over! Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" Neji's hands became blurs as they jabbed at Kidoumaru's Tenketsu, driving the Sound nin back towards the tree trunk of the branch they were standing on. Neji's final blow sent Kidoumaru crashing through the thick trunk and down to the ground below. Neji and Aki both leapt down, ready to finish their opponent off, but gasped in disbelief when they saw the shadowy form of Kidoumaru standing within the smoke caused by his landing. As the smoke cleared they saw he was covered in golden armor made from the material that he had used for his throwing spikes. The armor fell off; revealing Kidoumaru was undamaged from the whole attack.

"So it's not just your mouth that emits that weird gold stuff," said Aki as she reached for some more shuriken.

"Correct, my Kumo-Nenkin (Golden Spider Thread) is a form of metal that instantly solidifies once it touches the air, blocking all chakra. Also, I can emit it not just from my mouth, but also from every sweat gland of my body."

"God, I'd hate to see his zits," muttered Aki, which caused Neji to smirk.

Kidoumaru suddenly leapt into the trees, causing Neji to start to scan for him, only to have the Hyuuga boy leap back as a kunai hit the ground by his feet. Neji's eyes widened and he suddenly lunged for Aki, grabbed her in a hug, and yelled, "Hakke Shou Kaiten!" Aki had the weird experience of being inside the chakra sphere as it deflected numerous throwing spikes that had come at them from every angle. Slightly dizzy from the rapid spin, Aki leaned against Neji to regain her bearings. Neji suddenly turned and hurled a kunai into the trees, the veins of his activated Byakugan cluing Aki into what he was doing. But before she could follow his example and launch her own attack, Kidoumaru leapt out of the trees looking down on them as he hung from some web strands. Both teens became worried as they noticed the vine like pattern spreading across his body, remembering Sasuke's actions in the Forest of Death and how much stronger he had became after the Curse Seal activated.

"I must admit this game is pretty difficult to beat. I'll play seriously now," said the spider nin. 'The boy has both a wide field of vision and penetrating vision, plus he has that jutsu that deflected all my attacks. The girl seems to specialize in throwing weapons, with a few shadow related jutsu for close range fighting…. The boy is the more powerful one, so I'll have to take him out first!' Kidoumaru bit his thumb while forming a web between his middle hands and slammed his hand into the web with a cry of "Kuchiyose (Summoning) no Jutsu!" Instantly, a large spider on a giant web appeared above Neji and Aki, which promptly disgorged a giant egg sack that Kidoumaru split open with one of his golden spikes to send a rain of large spiders down on the two Konoha genin.

Neji immediately grabbed Aki and performed Kaiten, only to find the spreads the smaller spiders were emitting were being twisted by the spinning chakra and binding him down. 'Shit, if he catches both of us we're an easy target!' "Sorry about this," said Neji.

"What are you sayieeeeeeeeeennnnnnngggg!" Aki's question turned into a squeal of surprise as Neji tossed her up over his head while he temporarily stopped emitting chakra from his head, leaving an opening in the Kaiten and allowing Aki to soar high into the air. Neji immediately resumed emitting chakra from his head, destroying some spiders that got caught in the reforming chakra above him. However, the delay had cost Neji and the next second he found he couldn't move due to the spider webs binding him.

"Die!" yelled Kidoumaru as he hurled a throwing spike at Neji, only to see it deflected by a kunai thrown by Aki. "Damn, she deflected it, she's good to aim on the fly like that," muttered Kidoumaru.

"Aki-san, don't let them catch you or we're both sitting ducks!" yelled Neji as he severed the web strands holding him down, though the number of spiders meant that they could easily tie him down again. 'If I can't use Kaiten, I'll simply dodge them one by one.' Aki meanwhile had vanished into the treetops, though Neji could see her moving around with his Byakugan.

Kidoumaru leapt into the tree tops and quickly unleashed another barrage of his golden throwing spikes that Neji leapt over. His Byakugan revealed another barrage of spikes aimed higher than the first group and Neji used a quick burst of chakra from his hand to spin beneath the attack. As Neji landed, a swarm of spiders leapt towards him. Neji immediately assumed the stance for Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou before launching jabs at each spider, destroying them with a burst of chakra. However, their numbers overwhelmed Neji and he found himself trapped in spider threads again. Another barrage of daggers shot towards Neji's back, only for the Hyuuga genius to destroy the threads holding him and flip over the attack, only taking a small wound on the shoulder. Neji was panting, but he knew he had to buy Aki time to find a place to ambush Kidoumaru from. Neji winced as he felt the dagger lodged in his back, it wasn't fatal but it would hinder his movement. Another swarm of spiders and daggers was mostly dodged, but two daggers got through Neji's guard while the string holding his hair in a ponytail was snapped by another. Kidoumaru's voice echoed through the clearing as he taunted Neji, "What are you struggling for? The game is already finished! A scrub in an easy game is meant to be defeated quickly. You can never beat me!"

"Heh, even if you kill us and attack our friends from behind, Naruto would beat you in a second with all the chakra you've been forced to use against me!" replied Neji. There was a moment of silence, then the giant spider dropped down towards Neji, intent on crushing him.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" yelled Aki's voice. "Hariten Atemi (Thousand Needle Point Strike)!" A huge swarm of shuriken slammed into the giant spider, only instead of sticking in the giant summon's body they cut right through it. One hit the ground near Neji and he saw the edge was razor sharp with a coating of thin chakra that made the blades capable of cutting through anything. The wounded spider fell back first towards Neji, who slammed his hand into its back with a blast of chakra that destroyed the monstrous beast. However, the swarm of daggers that followed the giant spider couldn't be dodged in time and many buried themselves in his back.

Kidoumaru grinned evilly as his curse seal spread across his entire body, turning his skin an even darker brown. His hair grew longer while a third eye opened on his forehead. The spider nin then formed a deadly war bow with his golden web metal and produced a giant arrow that he aimed at Neji's back. As he released the arrow, he grinned in anticipation of seeing Neji's heart pierced by the giant projectile. A huge dust cloud covered the point of impact, which blew away to reveal Neji leaning against a tree trunk while clutching the large hole passing clean through his upper left arm. 'He deflected it with chakra, so I'll have to control the arrow's path…' Kidoumaru quickly followed his thoughts and formed another arrow, only this one had a web strand attached to its back that lead back to his mouth and gave him control of the arrow in mid air. The spider archer used the web strand to guide the arrow, only to have it miss due to Neji's knee giving out slightly and causing the arrow to land in the tree trunk an inch from Neji's head while giving him a scratch on his cheek. 'This time I'll add a spiral to the arrow; even if it hits the tree it'll drill on through and not change its course.'

Neji slumped, only to hear a slight chirping from his right. He easily recognized the basic bird speak they had learned in the Academy and fought to keep from grinning. "I give up, there is no chance of me dodging it now anyways."

"Hehehe, better make sure he's dead!" muttered Kidoumaru before he fired the spiral arrow. As the weapon bore down on the exhausted Neji, Aki suddenly appeared in its path with a black shield on her arm.

"Kage no Tate (Shield of Shadow)!" yelled the girl as she raised the shield to block the attack, only to gasp as the arrow veered around the shield and slammed into her body and through it to pierce Neji's lower right body. Neji's hand glowed blue with chakra as his arm shot around Aki and grabbed the web strand in front of her body. Chakra shot up the web strand, hitting Kidoumaru's head with the force of a sledgehammer.

'He channeled his chakra into the string before he died?' Kidoumaru yelled inside his head before the shock to his system became too much and he fell from the branch he was perched on.

'He's still alive,' thought Neji before chakra flared around his fingers that he used to slice the web strand passing through Aki and his bodies. Aki fell forward, rolling out of Neji's way as he charged towards Kidoumaru as the Sound nin fell from the trees. Neji's palm slammed into Kidoumaru's chest, causing the spider ninja to crash to the ground.

"How… that should have killed you instantly, why are you still alive?" stammered Kidoumaru as his curse seal receded and he returned to normal.

"I knew I couldn't dodge it completely, so I was prepared to take it. Also, I knew my own weakness better than you did. As you figured out, the Byakugan has a blind angle, but if I knew your attacks where coming from there I could concentrate chakra into my blind spot and deflect the attack. It's not so difficult then, to dodge a few centimeters from the intended target. Although I might be fatally injured, at least I can avoid an instant death."

"So you took the strike huh? Either way, you're going to die, you can only do so much."

"You're the strongest foe we've faced yet. But we have a reason why we can't lose to you," said Aki as she staggered forward to lean over Neji's shoulder.

"Our friends trusted us, and we're fighting for them!" declared Neji.

"Heh, it's hopeless, you can't stop the tides anymore. Sasuke-sama will become a part of the shadow!" declared Kidoumaru.

"No, there is someone who can find Sasuke through the darkness and bring him back to the light, the future Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto!" gasped Neji before he coughed up a mouthful of blood and started to collapse.

"Neji-kun!" gasped Aki as she grabbed at her supply pouch for some bandages. While her wound was large, it had not pierced any vital organs and she could see Neji had lost more blood that she had.

'Bluffing until the end,' thought Kidoumaru before he mimicked Neji's actions. 'Damn, I haven't been this close to death since my last sparring match with Kimimaro. Dammit.' With that, Kidoumaru collapsed and sank into the embrace of death.

"Naruto… everyone… I'm counting on you," whispered Neji. "Hinata-sama, change the clan for me."

"Stop talking like you're about to die!" yelled Aki as she pressed some cloth over the wound by Neji's left arm before wrapping bandages around his body to hold it in place.

"Heh, I'm almost out of chakra and I can feel myself growing weaker with each passing moment," said Neji.

"Shut up! Are you going to give up on your dreams so easily? What happened to the Hyuuga Neji I knew and admired for so long who never gave up and was the number one rookie of our year?"

"Aki-san…" Neji started to say, only to be interrupted by Aki's lips closing on his.

"Damn it if you die I'm going to use a kunai to kill myself and come after you!" yelled Aki with tears in her eyes. "You're the only guy who would treat me like a normal girl and not as a shy dark weirdo! You didn't expect great things from me and encouraged me when I was down!"

Neji simply stared at Aki, not knowing what to say. He had always thought highly of Aki because she wasn't one of his fan girls or after Sasuke, but he didn't know she felt anything for him besides friendship. 'And people say I'm the Hyuuga genius,' he thought. "Aki-chan…"

"Well it's about time she admitted it!" exclaimed a voice on the edge of the clearing. Aki looked up to see Ino supporting a much thinner Chouji as they walked out of the trees. "Shit, he looks bad! Chouji, you got any blood replenishing pills on you?" The Akimichi boy nodded and pulled out a bag of small red pills that he tossed to Aki, who quickly popped one into Neji's mouth before taking one herself. Chouji and Ino immediately started basic first aid on their friends, using herbs and some of Hinata's medical cream to treat the wounds they had suffered from Kidoumaru's arrows. It wasn't much, but at least the two were not in danger of dying of blood loss. As they were finishing up, they suddenly heard the branches above them creak with the sound of impact before four figures leapt out of the trees to surround them.

(0o0o0)

Kiba, Akemi, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Hinata leapt through the trees in pursuit of the two Sound shinobi. "They're close!" yelled Kiba while Akamaru gave a bark of agreement.

"We've got two more enemies, and there are five of us, so it's five vs. two. If we play our hand right, we may be able to finish it in the next encounter!" declared Shikamaru.

"Let's do it!" yelled Naruto.

"No, it's six versus two," said Akemi as she pointed at Akamaru nestled in Kiba's jacket. The white ninken (Ninja dog) let out several barks at this acknowledgement.

"Sorry, it's six on two, my mistake," said Shikamaru with a smirk.

"This time we'll finish it quick with our new techniques!" declared Kiba with a grin.

"Just tell me where you want them and I'll fill the forest with Kage Bunshin!" promised Naruto.

"I'm ready," was all Hinata said as she activated her Byakugan.

"That's good, but strategy comes first," said Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

"It's nearing dusk, it seems they've got their hands full," said Sakon.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is Orochimaru-sama. We've only accomplished one-third of the plan in half a day," replied Tayuya, who was carrying the barrel containing Sasuke.

"Yeah, this is not looking good," said Sakon. "Even if all goes well we're not even sure if we can make it."

Tayuya suddenly glanced down at her burden as she heard shifting inside of it. "Hey, wait a second!" Both sound shinobi landed on the next branch they came to, allowing Tayuya to set down the barrel.

"Is it starting?" asked Sakon.

"No, it should take a bit longer but…" Tayuya was cut off as Sakon's head jerked around and she followed her gaze to see Naruto, Hinata, Akemi, Kiba, and Shikamaru standing in their way. "Dammit, what were those idiots Jiroubou and Kidoumaru doing?" yelled the female sound nin.

"Give us back Sasuke!" growled Naruto.

"Yeah yeah, I'll kill them all within seconds!" roared Sakon as he lunged towards the quintet. Naruto hurled a kunai at the Sound nin, who dodged it while forming hand seals. "Tarenken (Multiple Connecting Punches)!" yelled Sakon before his arm seemed to blur as he prepared to pummel the group into submission. Kiba and Shikamaru leapt forward to block the attack while Naruto formed a Rasengan and the two girls leapt past Sakon to engage Tayuya in taijutsu. Kiba and Shikamaru flew back from the force of Sakon's punches, only to disappear in clouds of smoke. Tayuya managed to slip inside Hinata's guard and land a lucky shot to her chest, revealing that she too, was a shadow clone. Tayuya dispelled the fake Akemi with a kick and spun around to see Sakon Grab Naruto's arm to prevent him from using Rasengan.

Sakon's smirk of victory turned to a look of dismay as Kiba blasted through the Naruto Kage Bunshin with a cry of, "Tsuuga (Piercing Fang)!" Sakon barely managed to duck in time to avoid the attack, only to see Kiba was heading for Tayuya and the barrel containing Sasuke.

"Tayuya, move!" yelled Sakon as he leapt towards her. The Sound kunoichi tried to leap away from the attack, only to find she couldn't move at all. A quick glance to the side revealed Shikamaru had her in his Kagemane no Jutsu again. Kiba suddenly broke out of his spin to grab the barrel containing Sasuke and Sakon let out a yell of anger as he hurtled towards the two of them. "Tayuya, what are you doing?" The two Sound shinobi collided with one another while Kiba landed on a tree and tossed the barrel to Naruto and Akemi, who easily caught it. Shikamaru had released his Kagemane, allowing the two Sound nin to end up in a tangle of limbs and the three Konoha shinobi raced off, leaping from tree to tree. Sakon stood up and leapt after the three boys, his blotch shaped curse seal spreading across his body. "You're not getting away!" he howled.

Akemi and Hinata leapt out of the trees to join the boys while hurling several shuriken and kunai at Sakon, forcing him to dodge to the side and lose some momentum, allowing the Konoha forces to gain some more ground. Kiba glanced down when he reached a certain clump of leaves and called out, "Akamaru, hurry up when you're done setting the trap!" The ninken let out a bark of agreement and leapt towards his friends after placing a powerful explosive seal on a nearby branch, only to trip on a branch and fall. Kiba saw Sakon bearing down on his partner and rebounded off a tree to grab Akamaru just before the explosive note went off.

"Kiba-kun, Akamaru!" screamed Akemi as she spun around after hearing Akamaru's cry of distress after tripping. The whole group spun to see Kiba and Akamaru get tossed out of the edge of the forest with Sakon, right over a deep ravine that had a deep river running through it.

"Oh helllllll!" screamed Kiba as he saw the huge drop approaching.

Akemi leapt towards the partners, pushing off of Tayuya's head to give herself more speed, and launched her Tetsugen at the ravine wall. The fox girl swung down on the iron cable, grabbing Kiba and Akamaru with her tails and free arm. For a moment, it looked like they would safely swing up high enough for Kiba to leap to the ravine's side and climb up, only for the kunai that anchored the cable to the wall came loose and Akemi joined Kiba and Akamaru as they plunged into the ravine with Sakon.

"Damn, you two take Sasuke, I'll handle the last one!" Shikamaru yelled to Naruto and Hinata. Before any of the three remaining Konoha shinobi could do anything, Tayuya landed on a branch far from them and stopped while staring behind them.

"Kimimaro," she whispered, just before a gray and black blur shot between the rescuers, grabbed the barrel, and leapt back, trapping the Konoha team between the two remaining members of the Sound Five.

"Kuso, I forgot there was a fifth one according to Haku-chan!" muttered Shikamaru.

"Tayuya, where are the others?" asked Kimimaro. "This is delaying Orochimaru-sama's dream." Here Kimimaro rested his hand on the barrel holding Sasuke. "This 'vessel' is important for that dream, but you were too late. Kabuto san sent word that Orochimaru-sama has been forced to transfer bodies already."

"Damnit, stop babbling and give us back Sasuke!" roared Naruto as he lunged towards Kimimaro. Tayuya appeared in his way, aiming a punch for Naruto's head, only for him to grab her arm, spin in mid-air, and toss her towards the ground while using the force of his spin to launch himself after Kimimaro, only to have Tayuya repeat his maneuver against him and toss him back towards Hinata and Shikamaru with an added kick. Shikamaru leapt up and caught Naruto, landing beside Hinata. Tayuya had landed on a lower branch and Kimimaro dropped down beside her.

"Tayuya, the only reason you're still alive is you still have a mission to complete by staying alive. Please take out those three pieces of trash!" With that order, Kimimaro leapt back to the barrel and resumed the journey to the border between Fire country and Sound Country. Tayuya pulled a flute from her supply pouch and prepared to face the three Konoha shinobi.

"Naruto, Hinata, listen up. From now on move according to how I tell you," said the shadow user.

"Heh, I'll take you out in seconds!" boasted Tayuya. 'The blond's dangerous, but he's only got the Rasengan and those shadow clones plus that sword. The other guy's a shadow user and can disable enemies from mid range and is a clever team leader. The girl is a Hyuuga, got to be careful about her.'

"Ready?" asked Shikamaru. Naruto and Hinata both nodded and the shadow user drew a kunai before the trio leapt towards Tayuya. "We've got the advantage of numbers, let's take her down!"

"Hah, you pieces of trash won't make a difference, no matter how many there are!" yelled Tayuya.

"Don't underestimate us!" yelled Naruto as Shikamaru went low to attack with the kunai, a Rasengan spinning in his hand while Hinata prepared a Jyuuken strike.

Tayuya countered Shikamaru's kunai with her flute, only to hear the shadow user cry, "Naruto, Hinata, now!"

'Shit, a trap!' thought Tayuya. Naruto and Hinata both prepared to strike Tayuya, who cringed in anticipation, only to watch as the couple soared over her head and pursued Kimimaro. "Shit, you tricked me! What kind of teamwork is that you dumb bastards?" shrieked Tayuya before she saw Shikamaru's shadow shooting towards her. The Sound kunoichi leapt clear of the shadow, facing off with Shikamaru.

"Heh, it's over, Naruto and Hinata are an unbeatable team! They'll get Sasuke back!" declared Shikamaru.

"I highly doubt that! Kimimaro is the best of us, and he's fresh too! Those two will never be able to beat him!" countered Tayuya.

(0o0o0)

Kimimaro leapt out of the forest into a large clearing big enough to hold the three boss summons of the Sannin and still have a good amount of space left over. He spun around as he sensed two chakra signatures approaching him quickly. 'That Tayuya, I'll kill her when I get back.'

Naruto and Hinata leapt out so the sun was at their backs and landed in their battle stances facing Kimimaro. "Why the hell does that snake bastard want Sasuke anyways?" demanded Naruto.

"Orochimaru-sama has already completed the jutsu of immortality. In order to acquire all the jutsu of the world he requires more time. Immortality does not necessarily mean immortality of the body. He must replace his body with a newer and stronger one before his current one succumbs to death."

"That's why he wants Sasuke?" hissed Hinata, disgust showing in her tone.

"Yes, exactly," said Kimimaro as a white spike slid out of his palm.

"Kaguya, I didn't think any of your clan was left alive after they attempted the coup against the Mizukage," Naruto said before he sniffed the air. His eyes widened and he started to growl, his blue pupils turning into fox slits while the whisker marks on his cheek thickened. "You're the one who almost killed Haku-ne-san!" growled Naruto before he blurred forward and Nenshousaiga clashed against Kimimaro's bone sword. The two blades flashed and Naruto was driven back by a sudden kick to the stomach. However, this was just the opening Hinata needed to dart in under Naruto and use her family's taijutsu to the fullest. Hinata's palm shot towards Kimimaro's heart, only for him to block with a second bone sword from his other arm. Naruto reentered the fight with a swarm of clones, each bearing Nenshousaiga.

"Yanagi no Mai (Dance of the Willow)!" said Kimimaro before he started jabbing rapidly spinning, leaping, thrusting, and kicking. Bones shot out from his elbows and knees, skewering clones with each movement. Naruto and Hinata fell back, each one having barely avoided being skewered by the attack. Kimimaro stood up and retracted the bones back into his body before removing his shirt to reveal a curse seal between his two collar bones. The skin of the bone manipulator's left shoulder suddenly cracked open and a bone pushed through the muscle, causing Naruto and Hinata to both flinch. Kimimaro pulled the bone out, revealing he had removed his upper arm bone and the sharp bone he had previously used and turning them into an effective sword. "These bones are hardened to maximum density, meaning they are as solid as steel! I've mastered the five dances, don't assume you know all my powers just by looking at them. Behold, Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)!" Naruto created another batch of clones that charged in to provide cover for the real Naruto and Hinata's attempt to grab the barrel and flee, only to be taken out by Kimimaro's sword. This time Kimimaro managed to slice Naruto across his chest, causing the couple to jump back and regroup. It was at this point that the barrel containing Sasuke seemed to glow with a dark aura. "It's almost time, the first step of Orochimaru-sama's ambition!" The barrel exploded in a huge cloud of smoke, causing Hinata to gasp and activate her Byakugan.

The smoke cleared away to reveal Sasuke, only it wasn't the Sasuke Naruto and Hinata knew since childhood, though they could only see his back. This Sasuke had dark brown skin, long white hair, and an evil aura that caused Naruto to growl and the hair on Hinata's back to stand up as her newly discovered miko powers reacted to the evil in the air. The dark skin started to break up and revealed is was a level two curse seal that slowly receded, while Sasuke's hair shrank and resumed its normal raven color. "Sasuke, help us kick this bastard's ass and then we can go home!" yelled Naruto. Instead of moving to help Naruto and Hinata, Sasuke started laughing madly. "Dammit, can't you hear me?" yelled Naruto.

Sasuke didn't answer and leapt away, heading towards Hidden Sound. "Sasuke!" yelled Hinata, darting towards her escaping friend with Naruto, only to gasp as Kimimaro appeared behind them.

"Useless. Die!" declared the bone manipulator as he prepared to slash them in half. Naruto shoved Hinata out of the way, but couldn't get himself clear as the blade moved closer and closer to his throat.

"Ookami Konoha Senpuuken (Wolf Leaf Spinning Wind)!" yelled a voice as a green and black blur shot past Naruto to crash into Kimimaro, sending him skidding back. The blur landed and resolved itself into Rock Lee, who Naruto and Hinata had not seen since his operation. Lee's hair was now shaggy like when he first graduated from the academy while two black wolf ears and a black tail sticking out of the back of his green spandex suit showed that the operation to infuse him with Kurotsume's blood had been a success. Lee breathed deeply and assumed his usual battle stance with one arm behind him and the other raised in front of his body.

"And you are?" asked Kimimaro.

"Konoha's beautiful green beast has been reincarnated! I am Rock Lee!" declared the wolf hanyou with a grin that showed off his enlarged canines.

"Man Fuzzy Brows, you look good!" declared Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, Hinata, you have to get Sasuke! Leave this guy to us!" declared Lee, not taking his eyes off Kimimaro.

"Us?" asked Hinata, only to see the ground crack as a geyser of water broke the surface and fell down to reveal Haku dressed in her kunoichi outfit and clutching her father's fang.

"Haku-san informed me that your opponents all had curse seals, so we came after you with Sakura-chan and Tenten. They're taking care of Chouji, Ino, Neji-kun, and Aki-san," said Lee.

"You owe me a rematch Kaguya, and this time I'm taking you down!" snarled Haku.

"I promise that we'll defeat this guy!" declared Lee with a thumbs up. Naruto and Hinata nodded before running off to catch up to Sasuke.

"Awaken Korrimizusaiga (Ice Water Fang)! Koorimizuryuutsume (Ice water dragon fang)!" yelled Haku. Water formed around the fang, making it the hilt of a large curved blade that looked like a giant version of the fang Haku held made out of water with an icy covering. "Let's do this Lee!"

(0o0o0)

The border between Sound Country and Fire Country was the Valley of the end. On the Fire Country's side of the valley was a statue of the Third Hokage, while opposite stood the statue of a ninja whose name had been lost to history. Naruto and Hinata leapt onto the Shodai Hokage's head, finding Sasuke standing on the head across the valley from them. "Sasuke!" yelled Naruto. The Uchiha turned to face his team mates and Naruto instantly started to growl. "You're not Sasuke!"

"Kukukukukukukukukukuku, Indeed I'm not fox boy. I'm the darkness he had buried deep inside him. Thanks to Orochimaru-sama I'm now free to gain the power I need to destroy my brother," declared Akuma (Devil) Sasuke.

"Then we'll just have to free the real Sasuke-kun!" declared Hinata, activating her Byakugan and stifling a gasp as she saw the black and purple aura Akuma Sasuke was producing. Naruto's eyes once again became blue slits and Hinata could see flickers of red youki appearing around him.

"Kukukukukukukukukuku, I'd like to see you try," declared Akuma Sasuke as he turned and started walking towards hidden Sound, only to see a kunai hit the ground in front of him and for Naruto to suddenly appear on top of it before slugging him in the face.

"I made a promise of a lifetime to Haku-ne-san that I'd bring you back Sasuke, and I intend to keep it!" yelled Naruto.

**And that's it. Next chapter we'll finish up the rescue mission and you'll learn if it succeeds or fails. I know you all hate me right now, but finals are coming up and I rushed to get this typed up before they started. Fanime is coming up so I'll get tons of inspiration there, then I start working two part time jobs in the summer. I'll try to write as much as possible and I plan to have this story done by the time classes start again!**


	22. Tail 21: Mission Ends

**Roar of the Dragon: Well Fanime this year was a bit of a disappointment. I really only enjoyed the two One Piece movies I saw and the Rurouni Kenshin marathon. But I'm inspired by the RK manga to write!**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

_**To T.O.B: I've disabled anonymous reviews so that's why you can't review my fic! Register for the site and you won't have a problem! Your actions have pissed off both me and FullMetalRuromaru! Register on the site and send me a PM if you have to send me ideas! And I've already decided on pairings, I've got to many going to consider any more.**_

Tayuya and Shikamaru continued their face off, neither one backing down. "Fool, what can you do with that one wimpy technique?" taunted the Sound kunoichi. "As far as I can tell, from the time you took to get here, you sacrificed your team members one by one. Is this Sasuke boy so important to you? Wasting a team for one guy, hahaha, you stupid morons."

"Heh, you may think that in Sound, but in Konoha we care about our comrades! We're not called the strongest village for nothing, it's because we all stand together and watch each others' backs that we're the strongest nation," countered Shikamaru. "The rule of thumb dictates that I should have halted the mission in consideration of my team mates' lives rather than save one comrade. But the real world doesn't follow the rule of thumb. None of my subordinates would halt the mission and desert Sasuke to save their own hide. Naruto would have stormed Hidden Sound all by himself and slaughtered anyone in his way to get him back. Me, I'm just a lazy bum who likes to watch the clouds. The last thing I'd want to do is lead a team and give orders, but if there's anything I can do for my team, it is to trust them! I don't view them as sacrifices, I don't think they're dead. Don't underestimate my comrades!" Shikamaru had now stood up and the look he gave Tayuya as he formed the rat seal caused her to believe she had no idea what she was messing with.

(0o0o0)

At the bottom of the ravine, Kiba, Akemi, and Akamaru faced off against Sakon. All four combatants had managed to land on the bottom of the ravine safely, with Sakon between Kiba and Akemi since they split up in midair to ambush him. Both Genin were in their feral modes, circling Sakon while Akamaru stayed back as back up. Kiba suddenly dashed forward, aiming a power packed punch at the back of Sakon's head. 'Got him!' cheered the dog boy in his head, only to feel an impact on his chest before he went skidding along the floor of the ravine. Akemi ran to Kiba's side, tossing Akamaru a soldier pill that he quickly ate. "I felt the impact, but my attacks don't seem to be doing any damage. Where did that last attack come from?" Kiba growled, knowing Akemi could understand the canine language he used to communicate with Akamaru in secret.

"Let's try a triple attack. I'll support the two of you, get him with both sides with the Piercing Fang!" replied Akemi. Akamaru and Kiba nodded, dropping a smoke bomb to cover Akamaru's transformation to a feral Kiba clone. Kiba and Akamaru broke out of the cloud, charging at Sakon from the front and back while Akemi hurled some kunai that kept Sakon from leaping above the attacks.

"Gatsuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!" roared Kiba as the two spinning attackers slammed into Sakon. A dust cloud obscured the impact, leaving Akemi waiting to see if their strategy had worked.

(0o0o0)

Back with Shikamaru and Tayuya, the red headed kunoichi slammed her hand onto the ground with a cry of, "Kuchiyose (Summoning) no Jutsu!" Three giants appeared behind the kunoichi. One had long hair that covered its entire head and carried a giant iron club, the second had a cloth covering its eyes and a claw tipped shield on each arm, and the last one was bound in bandages and had needles sticking out of its head.

'This…. Is not looking good,' thought Shikamaru.

"I'll play a melody of death for you!" said Tayuya as she raised her flute to her lips. "It is you who shouldn't underestimate us, trash!"

(0o0o0)

Kiba and Akamaru stared in shock as another body leaned out of Sakon's back, capturing Akamaru's arms while Sakon had Kiba's in a tight grip. The second body looked identical to Sakon, except it wasn't wearing a necklace. 'What the hell is this guy?' wondered Kiba as his leg shot up to hit Sakon in the groin. The dog user was surprised to see a foot shoot out of Sakon's stomach and block the blow.

"Two on two is just perfect for us, eh Sakon?" asked the newcomer.

"Tarenken (Machine Gun Punch)!" yelled Sakon as two extra arms burst out of his elbow and he rapidly pummeled Kiba, who ducked under the blow and let the attack hit the rock behind him, only to find one of the arms had grabbed his neck. "We happen to be good brothers, my older brother usually sleeps inside me, but wakes up to help me out during battle. Ukon can extend his hands and legs from any part of my body to both strike and defend." As Sakon spoke, Ukon's head appeared out of the side of his neck with a fist in his forehead as the curse seal spread across their body. Ukon's arm smashed into Kiba's forehead, causing an enraged Akamaru, who had returned to his normal form and lost his red coloring, to charge towards his friend. "Tarenkyaku (Machine Gun Kick)!" yelled Sakon as three feet connected with Akamaru and sent him sprawling. "A kick that is three times more powerful hurts pretty bad huh? Let's see what's next!" declared Sakon.

"Sakon, where's the girl?" asked Ukon, causing his brother to freeze for a second.

"Kasei Tsume (Force of Flame Claw)!" yelled Akemi as she brought her flaming claws down towards the arm holding Kiba. Sakon instinctively let go of his enemy and Akemi's tails helped her grab Kiba and leap back to where Akamaru was getting to his feet. "That was close, sorry I took so long Kiba-kun," said Akemi.

"That's okay, now that it's three on two they're toast!" declared Kiba.

"Quickly Sakon, activate Level 2!" yelled Ukon as his head moved beside Sakon's and turned into an Oni head with a long horn on the right side of his forehead. As Sakon did the same thing, Kiba began to tremble slightly at the chakra level of the two brothers.

"Well, any ideas?" asked Kiba, who was answered by several barks from Akamaru. "You're telling me to use that? No Akamaru, it's too risky! You know that if we use that jutsu, we'll end up using most of our chakra and be rendered immobile."

"Don't worry, I'm here to back you guys up and I won't let them get you if you do miss!" said Akemi. Kiba glanced at Akemi and grinned before nodding just as Sakon and Ukon charged them.

(0o0o0)

Back with Shikamaru and Tayuya, the Sound Kunoichi had activated level one of her curse seal and her body was covered in jagged lines. Her summoned Oni were leaping towards Shikamaru and he barely dodged the club of the long haired one. 'She's controlling them with the sound of the flute!' the lazy genius yelled inwardly, just before the two remaining Oni lunged at him.

(0o0o0)

Kiba grunted as he was forced back by the force of Sakon and Ukon's blow. However, the canine master kept his grip on the twins' shared arm and growled, 'Now Akamaru! Dainamikku Makingu (Dynamic Air Marking)!' Akamaru let out a loud bark as he spun around in mid air above the combatants, urinating on Sakon and Ukon. The twins yelled in disgust as Kiba leapt into the air to join Akamaru while forming the tiger hand seal as the dog landed on his master's back. 'Jinju Konbi Henge: Sotoro (Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf)!' Kiba yelled in his mind. The duo was suddenly obscured from view by a giant cloud of smoke. The smoke disappeared to reveal Kiba and Akamaru had combined to form a giant two headed version of Akamaru that had giant fangs and claws. (I'll be referring to this form as Kibamaru for now)

"Heh, all this tension for a bunch of drooling dogs…" muttered Sakon. The giant wolf leapt into the air with speed that belied its huge form.

"Eat this!" roared Kibamaru as he started to spin rapidly, forming a giant Tsuuga (Piercing Fang). The huge canine tore across the ground towards Sakon and Ukon, the sheer force of his spin starting to shred the twins' shared leg, causing the twins to fall to the ground.

Sakon attempted to regain his balance, only to slip on some of Kibamaru's saliva. "What are you doing Sakon? 3 o'clock!" Sakon turned his head just in time to see and allow Kibamaru ram into the chest the brothers shared.

"Garouga (Double Wolf Fang)!" roared Kibamaru. The force of the attack was so great that Sakon and Ukon were torn apart and sent flying to opposite sides of the ravine while Kibamaru skidded to a stop. "Heh, how was that?" asked the Kiba head. "Garouga is a move where we spin so fast we can't even keep track of our own vision, it's a super spin. Even if it doesn't hit, the shockwaves slice the enemy. If you get nailed head on, you're gonna be in pieces!"

Kibamaru's expression of triumph was brought to a halt by the sight of a strange substance forming on the battered halves of Sakon and Ukon that quickly formed demonic armor to replace the missing half of their bodies, giving each of them a whole body. "Hah, we were just thinking about splitting up anyway," declared Sakon.

'What? They multiplied?' thought Kibamaru as both brothers climbed to their feet.

"True, if we got nailed as one it would've been quite bad, however… the real fighting begins now!"

'Damnit, we've only got one shot left and that's it!' yelled Kiba inside his head, scanning the ravine for Akemi. He spotted her gathering her chakra, apparently preparing something big. 'I've got to give her the time she needs to finish her plan, here it goes!' "Garouga!" The two headed dog once again became a giant twister that shot towards the two sound ninja, who leapt away from the attack and hid behind some of the rock formations that filled the ravine floor. "There's no use in hiding! I told you we're tracking you by scent!" yelled Kibamaru. "We hunt for the scent we marked and aim for that!"

'Alpha,' thought Ukon as he bit his demonic left arm.

'Beta,' thought Sakon as he bit his demonic right arm.

Both brothers slammed their hands into the ground with a shared thought. 'Kuchiyose: Rashōmon (Summoning: Rashōmon)!' as a giant demonic gate sprang up between them that Kibamaru slammed into head on.

'Damnit, we can't break through!' yelled Kiba in dismay as he felt the attack start to fail. Sakon and Ukon leapt into the air in preparation to finish the boy and his dog off, only to sense a huge surge of chakra from down the ravine.

A shout of, "Nensoutsuuga (Burning Piercing Fang)!" filled the ravine as Akemi leapt into the air while assuming her true form of a giant four tailed kitsune that rapidly imitated the Inuzuka technique and became a flaming drill that shot towards the demonic gate. Akemi aimed for a spot right beside Kibamaru, causing the gate to shatter as the two dervishes shot through it. Kibamaru regained his energy without the obstacle and the two partners arced back towards the brothers.

"They broke Orochimaru-sama's ultimate defense? Impossible!" yelled Ukon. Akemi zeroed in on his voice and scent and targeted him, leaving Sakon for Kibamaru. Unfortunately, the two partners had used up to much chakra and the collision with Sakon only sent him crashing into the ravine wall and didn't kill him. Ukon managed to use a flying piece of the Rashomon gate to avoid Akemi, who landed and skidded to a halt as she saw Kibamaru panting.

Ukon and Sakon suddenly leapt out of nowhere, each aiming for the giant two headed dog. Akamaru suddenly disengaged the jutsu, releasing his urine in Sakon's eye and taking the hit meant for Kiba while Ukon shot over Kiba's shoulder. "Damnit, he did it again! Shit, my eyes!" screamed Sakon.

'Huh, where's the other one?' thought Kiba as he landed on the ground, worried for Akamaru.

"Kiba-kun!" yelled Akemi as she turned back to her normal form and raced towards him, worry and horror showing on her face.

"Hey, are you looking for me?" asked Ukon. Kiba froze, his mind trying to process what his eyes were seeing as he saw Ukon's head sticking out of his right shoulder. "Sakon, go wash that piss out of your eyes!" The bead wearing sound ninja rushed off, leaving Kiba, Akamaru, and Akemi alone with Ukon. Kiba reacted instinctively, trying to punch the head, only to have one of Ukon's arms shoot out of his body and grab Kiba's arm. Ukon's head meanwhile shifted to Kiba's left shoulder. "This is my ability, specialized for assassinations. I can merge with anyone down to the cellular level, creating parts of their body under my complete control. Your claws and sense of smell won't be enough to stop me!

'Maybe not, but this will!' yelled Akemi in her head as she fired her Tetsugen (Iron String) at Ukon from behind. However another arm came out of Kiba's body and blocked the attack.

"Hehehehe, give it up! I'm in complete control here!" taunted Ukon.

"Oh yeah?" asked Kiba before his free arm shot down to his kunai holder and he grabbed the kunai. Akemi's eyes widened as Kiba stabbed himself with the kunai in the side. "When I got this Hitai-ate I became a ninja, not a little boy! I swore to lay down my life for Konoha and my friends. If I'm going down I'm taking you with me!" yelled Kiba.

'Shit, my ability's biggest merit was that I could slip into an opponent's body and move myself out of harm's way! I've never met anyone who would do something like this!' thought Ukon. He was so distracted by Kiba's willingness to take him down with him that he missed Akemi's charge until she kicked him in the face hard. Ukon's concentration was shot and he tore free of Kiba's body.

Akemi immediately shifted to her large form and growled, "Enokorogusa Kaitou (Fox Tail Sharp Sword)!" before slamming her now sword like tails into Ukon. The Sound ninja blocked the attacks with his demonic arm, but several large cuts appeared on it. Akemi's tails picked up Kiba and Akamaru and she ran off down the ravine, managing to step on Sakon and causing him to nearly drown as he suddenly inhaled a lot of water.

(0o0o0)

Back at the site of Lee, Haku, and Kimimaro's battle, Lee was the first to make a move. He charged towards Kimimaro as the bone manipulator dashed towards him, both aiming to get in the first blow. "Ookami Konoha dai Senpuu (Wolf Leaf Spinning Wind)!" yelled Lee as he used his new version of his classic kick attack to try to sweep Kimimaro's legs out from under him. Kimimaro leapt over the attack only to see Lee continue through with his motion and use his arm to push himself into the air and attack again with a mid air kick that Kimimaro leaned back to avoid. Lee's remaining leg on the ground tensed and the green clad wolf boy leapt above Kimimaro, bringing his airborne leg down for a devastating axe kick that the bone manipulator leapt back from. "You're surprisingly flexible, aren't you?" asked Lee as he regained his feet. "Also, you move with good precision." 'I won't be able to land a kick on him…' thought Lee.

"You're very linear, just like your name. Let's go," said Kimimaro.

"Please wait," exclaimed Lee as he raised a clawed hand while the other dropped to his belt pouch. "I'm afraid I have to take some medicine before we continue…" Lee was cut off by a smack on the head from Haku.

"You told me you were all better!" yelled the Hanyou girl.

Lee rolled his eyes and said, "My body is fine, but I'm getting headaches due to the fact that most of my hearing system had to be rearranged in a very short time and my optic nerves are different now. The medicine just makes it easier to focus."

Haku blinked as Lee removed the stopper from the bottle and sniffed the medicine. 'Huh, it smells kind of like sake… why would Oka-san and Tsunade-sama give him something like that?'

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi and Tsunade were both on their way to check on their personal patients, but as they entered Haku's room they found she was gone. Tsunade muttered a curse while Kyuubi's face paled. The situation only got worse as a nurse reported Lee was missing from his room and had apparently left the medicine meant for the headaches he'd been suffering from behind.

"Tsunade-sama, where is Lee?" wailed Gai as he burst into the room, Kurotsume following behind him. The wolf woman seemed quite taken by Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, having spent several days with him and accompanying him on a few missions as a way of getting a look into the mind of the man who had trained Lee for the past year and thus figure out how Lee thought.

Tsunade's face was now pale as she realized something. "Shit, I must have left my sake by Lee's bed and he grabbed that instead of his medicine!"

"YOU WERE DRINKING SAKE AND LEAVING IT LYING AROUND IN MY HOSPITAL?" yelled Kyuubi.

Tsunade's face quickly grew red from frustration as she countered, "YOUR HOSPITAL? I'M THE ONE WHO MODERNIZED THIS FACILITY WHEN I WAS A JOUNIN, STARTED THE MEDIC NIN TRAINING PROGRAM, AND SHOWED HOW USEFUL IT IS TO HAVE A MEDIC NIN IN A FOUR MAN SQUAD!"

"Gai, is something wrong?" asked Kurotsume, instantly quieting the two women. They turned to see Gai slumped against the wall, a look of horror on his face.

"If Lee drinks even a bit of sake, it's a terrible thing…" said the super brows Jounin. "After Lee learned the Ura Renge I took him to a restaurant to celebrate. That's when it happened… Lee mistook plain water for sake and when he drank it he turned into something awful."

"What do you mean?" asked Kyuubi as she had never seen anything in Lee's record that indicated a problem with sake.

"When I recovered, the whole place was thrown into disarray. The truth is that guy… gets into a drunken frenzy."

(0o0o0)

Lee gulped down his medicine before Haku could say anything and made a face at the taste. "Medicine always tastes bad…" Lee's speech trailed off as his body started to sway from side to side. "Whash're you lookin at freak?" roared Lee as his cheeks turned red, his eyes drooped, and he assumed a wobbly stance.

'Is he… drunk?' wondered Haku and Kimimaro, though Haku followed her danger sense and backed away from Lee.

(0o0o0)

"Consequently, he's a natural master and user of the Suiken (Drunken Fist)," finished Gai.

Tsunade's eyes widened and she suddenly remembered a Mist nin who shared the same problem and had been strong enough to match her strength under the influence of sake.

Kyuubi meanwhile was figuring out the effects of sake on an inexperienced hanyou.

Both women came to the same conclusion. "Oh shit…" Tsunade's voice trailed off as Kyuubi started using languages most of the people present didn't know and that had been forgotten to all but time.

(0o0o0)

"Here I come!" yelled Lee as he charged Kimimaro. The bone user prepared to block any attacks, only to barely dodge out of the way as Lee leapt up at the last minute with a mid air punch. Lee twisted in mid air to grab Kimimaro's sleeve and kicked the Kaguya boy away. Lee then pushed off from the ground while spinning his body as he head butted Kimimaro in the chest.

'He's too unpredictable and fast for me to keep up!' thought Kimimaro before Lee performed a handstand and rapidly attacked him with both feet. The green clad Genin's feet were unable to break Kimimaro's bone sword, but Lee's attack kept him on the defensive until Kimimaro snapped out a kick that Lee rolled back to his feet to avoid and that gave Kimimaro the opportunity to unleash his attack. "Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)!" Kimimaro's bone sword seemed to become a blur that Haku was barely able to keep up with as he rapidly jabbed and slashed at Lee. The wolf boy however seemed to be made of liquid steel as he wove in and out of the attacks. Lee suddenly leaned back at an angle Haku thought impossible to avoid a particularly vicious slash, leaving him vulnerable to Kimimaro. 'There!' thought the bone user and he slashed at the back of Lee's neck to decapitate him. Incredibly, Lee froze at the last second so the attack didn't even touch his hair. Lee's arm snapped back and grabbed Kimimaro's arm as he stood up before the green clad genin tried to back fist Kimimaro, only to find the blow blocked by his sword. Kimimaro's leg snapped up to block the next backhand attack, but he didn't count on Lee using a reverse kick to send him flying backwards. Lee aimed a punch at his opponent's head, but Kimimaro ducked under the attack and kicked Lee's leg out from under him. Lee's legs suddenly clamped on to Kimimaro's extended leg and the bone user had a split second to feel surprised before Lee's open palmed strike slammed into his chest.

Haku could hardly believe her eyes. She knew Lee was good, she had seen him fight in the Forest of Death, the Preliminaries, and against Shino…. But this was Taijutsu on a whole new level. She was shocked to see Kimimaro stand up after Lee hit him so hard, but she felt sick as he saw his right arm go limp at the elbow with loud crack as the curse seal on his chest started to spread. Haku barely kept from fainting in shock as the bones of Kimimaro's lower arm pushed through the skin. She was used to setting bones of course, but she had never seen a Kaguya at work before.

"My abilities are morphing bones, didn't the fox boy tell you that?" asked Kimimaro before he dashed towards Lee. The Suiken fighter blocked the first punch from the arm without the bone spikes, then grabbed the arm with the spikes as it came towards his head. Lee's arm snapped up and down, breaking Kimimaro's guard. Lee smirked and aimed a punch at Kimimaro's chest, only to leap back as Kimimaro's ribs burst out of his chest to block the attack. Lee took his first wound in the fight, a simple scratch on each cheek, and Haku was once again feeling sick. "This is my bloodline inheritance, Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)." Lee's face no longer looked flush and Haku could see his eyes growing clearer. "My blood inheritance enables me to control the bone producing and destroying cells as well as the density of calcium, to manipulate the formation of bones." Lee regained his feet and suddenly disappeared, dashing around to attack Kimimaro from the rear. "Karamatsu no Mai (Dance of the Larch)," said Kimimaro before bone spikes erupted from all over his body. Lee blocked the blow, but took a serious wound in his arm.

Lee glared at Kimimaro and whispered, "Haku-chan, I need five minutes… can you give me that? Then I'll be recovered enough to finish him off." Haku nodded and quickly formed some hand seals.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique)!" said Haku before a giant blast of water shot towards Kimimaro as Haku pulled the water from the air around them. Kimimaro was slammed into the trees by the attack and as he regained his feet he barely managed to block Korrimizusaiga (Ice Water Fang) from slicing off his head with another bone sword. Haku strained against the older boy but found she was still weak from her injuries at his hand earlier. 'Damnit, I need to hold on! Wait, that might help!' "Kiri Gakure (Hidden Mist) no Jutsu!" Thick mist instantly filled the trees, obscuring Kimimaro's vision and allowing Haku to fall back. The dragon girl then formed her demonic ice mirrors and entered one. Kimimaro suddenly saw Haku and rammed his bone sword into her chest, only to find a shattered mirror. 'I won't be able to hit him with those spines of bone everywhere, so I'll use this to stall him,' thought Haku. Kimimaro kept destroying mirrors, slowly working his way out of the forest. As he reached the sunny clearing he had previously been fighting in, the sun burned away the mist and he saw Haku crouched in the clearing panting.

"Now I'll finish the job like I should have earlier," said Kimimaro as he charged towards Haku and the still wounded Lee.

(0o0o0)

Back in the ravine, Akemi, Kiba, and Akamaru had escaped down stream and hid behind a massive fallen tree. Sakon and Ukon were still pursuing them and Akemi worked quickly to use the basic first aid Haku had taught her to patch up Kiba. All three were keeping their noses peeled for their enemies and they prepared to make a last stand. Sakon and Ukon suddenly dropped into the clearing, avoiding the quick traps Akemi had set. "Hehehehe, the doggies have no where else to run… time to die!" taunted Sakon. The twins charged the wounded Kiba, preparing to finish him off first.

(0o0o0)

Shikamaru strained against Tayuya in her level two cursed form. He had managed to track her fingers and capture all three of her summoned Oni and use them to attack her before she dismissed them and activated level two of her curse seal. Tayuya had sprouted several horns around her head and Shikamaru was barely able to keep her trapped in Kage Kubi Shibari (Shadow Neck Bind) no Jutsu with hands of shadow. 'Kuso, I can't hold her any longer!' thought Shikamaru as the shadow hands reaching towards Tayuya's neck started to recede. Shikamaru leapt back from Tayuya, knowing he was no match for her strength in hand to hand combat.

"Die!" yelled Tayuya as she prepared to plunge a kunai into Shikamaru's chest. Shikamaru's eyes widened as a sudden wind slammed into Tayuya and tossed her away. "Who did that?" demanded the Sound kunoichi before a figure landed in front of Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

Sakon and Ukon stared at the black cloaked and haired figure that had blocked their dual attack. 'Heh, seems like it's an ally this time around,' thought Kiba as Akemi caught the same scent he had and blinked in surprise.

(0o0o0)

Kimimaro's charge was suddenly halted by a wall of sand that shot up between his prey and himself. "Who?" demanded the bone user.

(0o0o0)

"Allies of Konoha," said Temari as Shikamaru stared at her in surprise.

(0o0o0)

"The Shinobi of," declared Kankuro as Karasu raised its three eyed head to stare at the twins.

(0o0o0)

"Suna," stated Gaara as Lee and Haku gaped at him. "I'll take care of him, the two of you rest," Shukaku's container said as he walked towards Kimimaro.

Kimimaro raised his hands and suddenly whipped them forward with a yell of "Hessendan (Finger Bullet)!" as the top bones of his fingers shot out of their flesh holder and sped towards Gaara. Gaara's sand leapt to protect him, catching all the small bones and dropping them to the ground.

"You're too hasty…" said Gaara before turning to Lee and Haku. "Where are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata?"

"They've gone after Sasuke-kun already," replied Haku.

"I see. I owe them a large debt," said Gaara.

(0o0o0)

"I heard we came to terms with the traitor Suna, but it's hard to believe you guys help us just like that," muttered Shikamaru.

"We didn't willingly betray Konoha, it was an order. It's the same kind of reason I'm here," replied Temari. "Hey, when did you turn into such a dimwit? Are you going to give up here like you did during our match? If so tell me so I don't have to worry about you and I'll finish this fight myself."

"Sorry, but I can't stand being protected by a woman," countered Shikamaru.

"Heh, still blabbering about that? I can tell that's dutch courage dim-wit!" declared the sand kunoichi.

"So you're with Konoha now? Indecisive are we?" asked Tayuya as she brought her flute to her lips.

"She controls illusions with the sound of her flute!" warned Shikamaru as Tayuya started to play the flute.

"Roger!" said Temari. The sand girl gripped her fan hard and swung it as hard as she could with a yell of, "Dai Kamaitachi (Cyclone Blade) no Jutsu!" Instantly, a powerful wind shot towards Tayuya, destroying her sound borne Genjutsu and slicing apart anything in its path.

'She can deflect the sound of the flute and cause physical damage at the same time. A jutsu to both attack and defend at the same time unlike mine!' thought Shikamaru as he covered his eyes against the dust kicked up by the wind.

'She's good, that damn bitch!' Tayuya yelled inside her head.

(0o0o0)

Sakon and Ukon leapt back as blades shot out of Karasu's arms that dripped with poison. Kankuro simply moved his arm and the puppet shot towards Ukon, attempting to slash him as it spun around like a top. The Sound nin leapt back, smirking. "Behind you!" cried Kiba as he saw Sakon leap towards Kankuro's back. Kankuro spun around and tried to block the attack by crossing his arms, but Sakon's demonic arm broke through his guard.

"Finish him off Sakon!" yelled Ukon as he charged towards Akemi and Kiba.

"Katon: Kakitsune Endan (Fire Style: Fire Fox Flame Blast)!" yelled Akemi as she sent a fire fox towards Ukon, who was forced to dodge the attack or be burned to a crisp.

"Watch out, they can enter your body and merge with it!" yelled Kiba.

"Hehehehe, it's too late!" declared Sakon as his grip on Kankuro's face tightened. As his fingers sank into Kankuro's face, Sakon froze. "Shit, this guy!"

Kankuro's arms suddenly snapped up to grab Sakon's while sand fell from his face revealing a long head with horns on it. "Hmm, seems your jutsu isn't good against puppets," said Kankurou as he reached out and unraveled the bandages he had used to conceal himself on his second puppet's back this whole time. "For your information, we shinobi of Suna are not as soft or easy as those of Konoha. But man, getting close to Kuroari (Black Ant) like that so carelessly, isn't good!" With a twitch of Kankuro's arm, blades sprouted from Kuroari's arms and the puppet wrapped its arms around Sakon before jerking them out, giving him near fatal wounds, before dashing towards Ukon. The Sound ninja leapt away from the puppet's attack, landing next to the downed Sakon who had dropped his level two transformation.

"That hurt, I let my guard down. Let me rest my body for a bit," said Sakon as the two brothers merged together.

"What a clumsy guy," said Ukon

"What's with them?" asked Kankuro.

"That's their ability!" yelled Akemi.

"Don't worry brother, that toy is too slow and weak to hit us!" said Ukon as Sakon fell asleep. 'We don't have much chakra left… but we can still beat the crap out of them!'

'Damn, he heals faster than Naruto! What recovery power,' thought Kiba as he saw all of Ukon and Sakon's wounds had healed thanks to the merging.

'I'm not usually in control of the main body so this makes moving a bit difficult,' thought Ukon as he took a few steps towards his targets.

"You'd better not be underestimating me…" warned Kankuro.

"Or me!" growled Akemi as she climbed to her feet.

"Since I've been underestimated this much….I can't be leaving just yet!" declared Kankuro. With a twitch of his fingers he sent Karasu hurtling towards Ukon, only to have the Sound nin leap above the puppet.

"Hahahahaha, you think I didn't sense that other one behind me?" taunted Ukon.

"Sense this! Itoguruma (Blazing Fire Spinning Wheel)!" yelled Akemi as she also leapt up into the air. Fox fire surrounded her tails and she flipped in mid air to send a wheel of blue fire at Ukon that knocked him down to the ground.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Technique)!" roared Kiba before he regained his feral features and charged Ukon, shoulder tackling the joined brothers towards the waiting Kuroari, whose chest suddenly split open. Ukon landed right inside the puppet's hollow body and the opening in its chest slammed closed on him.

"Kuroari isn't an attacking puppet. Its purpose is to capture its targets. So that's why Karasu, paired with Kuroari, is used for attacking," said Kankuro. The puppet master moved his hands and all four of Karasu's arms, both legs, and head detached from the puppet's main body and revealed giant spikes on their ends. "Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu (Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot)!" The spikes shot into the slots on Kuroari's body and both Konoha nin flinched as Ukon and Sakon let out blood curdling screams. "And so the play ends," declared Kankuro.

(0o0o0)

Shikamaru had just finished describing his analysis of Tayuya's fighting style to Temari and wasn't feeling very confident about their odds. "If you ask me, we're at an overwhelming disadvantage. If this keeps up, sooner or later we're going to be backed into a corner, we should retreat for now…"

"Who the hell asked for your opinion? I just wanted an explanation of the situation. So she thinks she can hide from me by using the distance of the flute's sound then she's very naïve," declared Temari as she bit her thumb and swiped a line of blood on her fan before swinging it back. "Kuchiyose: Kamatari!" yelled Temari. A giant human sized weasel bearing a large scythe and with several smaller scythes floating around it appeared and as Temari yelled, "Kirikiri Mai (Quick Beheading Dance)!" the weasel disappeared in a huge whirl of wind.

Tayuya had just jumped down to ground level and was preparing to sneak around beneath her two opponents to finish them off when a fierce wind rushed through the forest, slicing trees in its path. Tayuya let out a scream as a giant log fell on her and she saw blackness.

Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes and looked between his arms to see most of the forest in front of him was missing its upper foliage. Shikamaru's feet gave out from beneath him and he collapsed to the tree branch due to chakra exhaustion. "Thanks," he muttered. Temari simply raised an eyebrow and smirked. The two then hurried in the direction Naruto and Hinata had gone, joined up by Kankuro, Kiba, and Akamaru on Akemi's back as well as the rest of the Konoha teams.

(0o0o0)

"Stay back, I'll handle this," said Gaara.

"No, you can be the back-up!" declared Lee as he stood up. The wolf boy took a step forward, only to fall to the ground as a hand of sand grabbed his leg.

"You still aren't fully recovered from using Suiken. I can guess what you're planning to do, wait until you have a clear shot and then take him down!" said Gaara. Lee nodded, sinking into a meditation trance to prepare his body for the moment he would have to act.

"Be careful Gaara-san, he attacks by shooting his bones like before or growing them out of his body. He can control it any way he pleases," warned Haku. True to her words, the bones sticking out of Kimimaro's body started to retract.

Kimimaro was preparing to fire another round of finger bullets when he detected an attack from his side. Leaping up into the air, Kimimaro barely missed being slashed by a giant claw of sand. The bone user fired off the finger bullets he had prepared towards Gaara, only to have another paw block the attack. The first paw resumed its attacks, forcing the Kaguya boy to leap and flip around or be crushed in its grip. Another volley of finger bullets was blocked by the second claw and Kimimaro came to a conclusion. 'He can only control the same amount of sand as that gourd holds…' However, this was proven false as Gaara announced his next attack.

"Suna Shigure (Desert Rain)!" yelled the container of Shukaku. Bits of sand filled the air and rained down towards Kimimaro, who tried to leap away only to find his legs grabbed by hands of sand. "I can easily turn create sand from the ground by crushing rocks and minerals, making a desert anywhere I need it!" The sand hit Kimimaro and trapped him in Gaara's Sabaku Kyu (Desert Coffin).

"You got him!" yelled Haku in surprise.

"No, not yet," replied Gaara as he raised an open palm towards the mass of sand. "Sabaku Soso (Desert Funeral)!" The coffin of sand quickly tightened as blood spurted out of the mass of sand. But then something more terrifying emerged. It was Kimimaro's arm and it was covered in what looked like a jigsaw puzzle of bone pieces. Haku and Lee watched in horror as Kimimaro pulled himself free of the sand. Gaara kept his calm demeanor, but inwardly he was worried.

"What terrifying pressure, if I didn't create these bone masks right underneath my skin I would've been crushed! I was taking you too lightly, but this sand will never catch me again!" said Kimimaro.

"Hmph, you underestimate my abilities," said Gaara as he assumed a horse stance and placed his hands together as if in prayer. "Ryūsa Bakuryū (Quicksand in the Style of a Waterfall)!" A giant forty foot wave of sand shot up in front of Gaara, Lee, and Haku before crashing down on Kimimaro and sweeping him away from the three allies.

"Did you get him?" asked Haku as she stared at the huge expanse of sand that had even reached to the far forest and buried many tall trees.

"No," replied Gaara before he knelt and slammed his palms into the ground. "Sabaku Taisō (Desert Imperial Funeral)!"The great expanse of sand suddenly hardened and everyone could hear the cracking of trapped trees as the sand crushed them. Both Lee and Haku were in awe and extremely glad they had not fought Gaara in the preliminaries or tournament. "How persistent…" muttered Gaara as his eyes fixed on a distant point. Lee and Haku both followed the sand ninja's gaze and grimaced when they saw what could only be a transformed Kimimaro obscured by a broken tree trunk. Gaara's hands shot up and sand rapidly encircled the figure, who managed to get one foot out of the sand before Gaara clenched his fists with a thought, 'Sabaku Kyū (The Coffin of Crushing Sand)!' The sand tightened around Kimimaro, but the Sound ninja managed to pull free, allowing his opponents to see his new form. The bone user now had dark brown skin, large protruding bone spikes emerging from his shoulder blades, and a long spiked tail extending from his tail bone with a row of bone ridges lining the top of the tail and his back.

Kimimaro darted towards his opponents, intent on slaying them. Gaara slammed his hands into the sand before him and raised a thick sand wall in defense, while Haku quickly formed a similarly thick wall of ice. Kimimaro burst through both barriers without any trouble, sending Gaara and Haku flying, only for Gaara's sand to catch them. "Damn, he's gotten stronger!" groaned Haku as she raised her head.

"So much for your absolute defenses, is this the limit of both of you?" asked Kimimaro.

"Don't forget about me!" growled Lee before he swept Kimimaro's feet out from under him, pushed off from the ground, and kicked the surprised bone user away from his friends. The wolf boy charged towards Kimimaro to finish the job, only to be tossed into the air by the sound nin's tail, a blow Gaara's sand barely blocked. 'He hasn't fully adapted to his metamorphosis yet,' thought Lee as he raised his head to see Kimimaro glaring at Gaara.

"This sand of yours is getting annoying, you will be the first to die… Gaara," said Kimimaro. With a sickening crack, Kimimaro pulled his spine out of his back and brandished it as a long spiked staff. "Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru (Dance of the Clematis: Vine)!" said Kimimaro. He suddenly whipped his weapon towards Gaara, whose sand blocked the blow. Kimimaro simply twitched his wrist and the spine wrapped around Gaara completely, though sand kept it from touching him. Kimimaro growled, "Tessenka no Mai: Hana (Dance of the Clematis: Flower)!" as bones burst from his left arm and formed a giant spearhead of bone. "this is the thickest and strongest bone in my body, it will easily pierce your through you and your pathetic defense of sand…."

"Saikō Zettai Bōgyo: Shukaku no Tate (Extreme Hard Ultimate Defense: Shield of Shukaku)!" Sand rose up around the spine to block Kimimaro's way as a fat tanuki wearing a monk's hat formed to defend Gaara.

Kimimaro lunged forward, ramming the giant bone on his arm into the belly of the sand tanuki statue. Sand exploded out from the point of impact as Gaara's eyes snapped all the way open as he concentrated on maintaining his defense. With a loud crack, Kimimaro's giant bone spear broke. Before anyone could do anything else, Lee let out a loud yell. The wolf boy was on his feet and looking fine except for a few faint marks showing where he had been cut earlier.

"Here I come!" yelled the wolf boy. Lee had now formed the ram seal and started to concentrate, causing Haku to gasp in horror.

"Lee-kun, don't open the gates!"

Lee ignored Haku's warning and yelled, "Initial gate open! Heal gate open! Life gate open!" Bright green chakra exploded around Lee as his skin turned red and his eyes turned pure white. Lee disappeared and Kimimaro suddenly found himself hit into the air. Lee appeared behind him and suddenly Kimimaro was flying around like a human pinball, feeling each of Lee's blows full force. Lee finally appeared above the bone user and used his arm bandages to grab and pull Kimimaro towards him and slammed his right leg and arm into the bone user's chest with a cry of, "Ura Renge (Extreme Lotus)!" and sent Kimimaro crashing to the ground. Lee landed on the ground and fell over, gasping for breath. 'I knew it; my body only feels like I did the Omote Renge (Initial Lotus)!' Haku scrambled to Lee's side and a quick check had her sighing in relief. While Lee was exhausted, he was still able to move and his muscles would recover shortly. However, Lee wouldn't have that time as Kimimaro rose up from the crater he had formed when Lee finished the Ura Renge.

"Now you will die!" Kimimaro charged the two, preparing to finish them off. Lee shoved Haku to the side and charged forward, slamming his fist into Kimimaro's chest before the bone user could react, bringing Kimimaro to a halt.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" growled Lee before he drew back his fists and slammed them both into Kimimaro with a cry of "Sosho (Twin Fists)!" The force of two punches was too much for Kimimaro and he flew backwards, where he landed in Gaara's newly made desert.

Haku used one hand to spring up after Lee tossed her aside and called Korrimizusaiga to her hand. She gripped the ice sword and then hurled it at Kimimaro as he started to climb to his feet. As the water and ice blade neared the bone user, the blade suddenly grew longer, slicing Kimimaro's right arm. As Kimimaro spun to keep his eyes on Haku, he found two senbon speeding towards his eyes. Kimimaro dodged to the side, only to slam into one of Haku's ice mirrors, the impact disoriented him long enough for the rest of the mirrors to enclose him while Haku stepped into one and appeared in the rest with Korrimizusaiga in her hand. "Just as I am the last of my clan, so are you Kaguya. Today, one of our clans will vanish from the earth!"

"Heh, maybe, but that destruction will not happen, for I am not alone. As long as I fulfill Orochimaru-sama's ambitions I will stay in his heart forever." (AN: More proof Orochimaru is a gay pedophile if you ask me….)

Haku then started leaping from mirror to mirror, slashing Kimimaro with each pass she made between mirrors. Finally she appeared above Kimimaro's head, diving down towards him to slice his head open. But Kimimaro's tail shot up and smashed into Haku's back, sending her crashing into a mirror and shattering it. However, before he could continue his attack, Kimimaro felt something grab his leg. Looking down he saw sand surging around his feet. Kimimaro's impassive face cracked as the sand started to pull him down. "You're overused your ability, now it's the end!" declared Gaara as the sand continued pulling Kimimaro down into the ground. "I'll bury you two hundred meters below the ground and you'll be held there by the pressure of the sand, unable to move even a finger."

Kimimaro struggled but was constantly pulled down by the sand. Eventually none of the three could see him any more and the Konoha hanyou breathed a sigh of relief. Gaara's eyes however narrowed as Kimimaro's voice echoed up from the ground. "Sawarabi no Mai (Dance of the Seedling Fern)!" Giant bone spikes suddenly erupted from the ground, rapidly approaching the three shinobi. Gaara's sand suddenly formed two sand clouds underneath Lee and the sand user that shot into the air while Haku used the remains of her mirrors to form a Koorisuberidai (Ice Launching Platform) that lifted her into the air before floating over to Gaara and Lee's sand clouds. All three stared down at the forest of spikes in amazement.

"He was stubborn to the end, but he won't be coming back out," said Gaara.

"Oh really?" yelled a voice right behind them. All three spun to see Kimimaro's top half leaning out of the largest bone tree behind them as his giant bone spear head lunged towards Gaara's back.

A streak of pink light suddenly slammed into Kimimaro's chest as a yell of, "Hama no Ya (Demon Destroying Arrow)!" split the air. The pink light disappeared to reveal a shocked Kimimaro who had been returned to his normal state due to an arrow lodged in the bone armor covering his chest. The arrow fell off, not having done much physical damage, and Kimimaro looked up in rage to see a miko robes perched on a tree branch at the end of the clearing.

"Kudora-chan!" yelled Haku in surprise, not having seen the tiger girl for a while.

"It seems I chose the right time to return from my visit home," said the tiger girl as she readied another arrow.

"Another annoyance," muttered Kimimaro as he aimed his free arm at Kudora before shooting finger bullets at her, only to see them blocked by a giant paw of sand. The paw was connected to a giant sand tanuki that growled at Kimimaro.

"You're annoying," muttered Shukaku before he used his paw to backhand Kimimaro away. The force of the blow ripped Kimimaro in half, and the fact that his heart was impaled on one of his bone trees didn't help his health at all. Neither did the rain of senbon Haku used to finish the job.

"Orochimaru-sama!" gasped Kimimaro before a blade of sand slashed his head off. Orochimaru's most loyal servant had finally met his match.

"Thank goodness you arrived when you did Kudora-chan," said Haku as she slumped in relief.

"Well, I sensed an evil aura in this direction and came to check it out," said Kudora as Shukaku used his tail to gather up all the ninja and bring them to his back.

"Lucky for us you did," said Haku before turning to Gaara. "Now, how is Shukaku out here? Kyu-san sealed him within you!"

"I'm in control of the sand right now," said Shukaku, "I just formed a large body since I can tell doll boy and fan girl are catching up to us as well as your friends and it will be safest on my back."

"The seal allows Shukaku much more freedom than we expected and we've come to an agreement. I've also signed the Tanuki contract and this is in essence summoning Shukaku, but with only a bit of the chakra it would normally require since he's not 'really' here," explained Gaara before turning to see his siblings, the remaining rescue party members, and the reinforcements approaching. Once everyone was on Shukaku's back and Haku started treating the wounded, the sand tanuki started heading towards the site of the huge chakra everyone had been feeling for the last few minutes.

(0o0o0)

Back in the decimated forest where Shikamaru and Temari had fought Tayuya, a large pile of logs started to move slightly.

(0o0o0)

Akuma Sasuke stumbled back from Naruto's punch and rubbed his cheek. "I see, so I guess I'll have to kill you to accomplish my goals. Hehe, the little brat doesn't like that, he's yelling at me to leave you alone and give him back his body," taunted the possessed boy. "I think I'll beat you within an inch of your life and then play with your little girlfriend before killing her in front of you! KukukukukukukukukukukukukukukuRCK!" Akuma Sasuke's taunting was cut off as an enraged Naruto darted forward and buried his fist in the demon's stomach.

"If you even lay a finger on Hinata-chan I swear I will drag you back to Konoha, have Kudora-chan purify you out of Sasuke's body, and then Oka-san will drag you down to hell for eternal torture!" growled Naruto.

"You beat me? Kukukukukukukuku, you're delusional little boy. I'm one of the Greater Fiends; you can never hope to stand against my power!"

Naruto cracked his knuckles and growled, "Sorry Sasuke, but I'm going to have to probably break every bone in your body to take him out, but I'm sure Haku-nee-chan will enjoy being your private nurse!" Naruto pounced forward, knocking Akuma Sasuke over and landing on his chest before unleashing a flurry of punches aimed at knocking his opponent unconscious quickly, only to have the possessed boy shrug off the attack and knee him in the stomach before flipping him over to slam against the ground.

Akuma Sasuke charged towards Naruto, only to find his legs swept out from under him as Hinata did a low kick as she silently emerged from the ground behind him with Doton: Shinjū Zanshu (Earth Style: Inner Decapitation) no Jutsu. Hinata lunged forward, aiming her palm towards Akuma Sasuke's back. Akuma Sasuke rolled with the leg sweep and back flipped over Hinata's next attack, grabbing her sweater and hurling her off the statue and towards the top of the water fall that fell between the two statues. Akuma Sasuke smirked, only to find himself flying through the air as Naruto's foot slammed into his back. The two boys fell towards Hinata, who had easily managed to regain her breath and land on the water's surface, exchanging punches and kicks as they fell. Naruto didn't regain control of his chakra in time and fell under the water, while Akuma Sasuke landed on top easily. Hinata had already positioned herself for her next attack and as the possessed boy stood up he heard her say, "Hakke Rokujū Yonshō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" before she lunged forward, her hands blazing with chakra. Akuma Sasuke ducked under the first two attacks meant to paralyze him and kicked Hinata's chin, sending her up into the air. 'That's the Konoha Shōfū (Leaf Rising Wind) he uses before his….!' Hinata's thoughts trailed off as her fears became real. Akuma Sasuke appeared behind her with Kage Buyo (Shadow of the Dancing Leaf) and yelled the final bit of her thoughts.

"Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo)!" Sasuke's fist snapped around in a backhand towards Hinata's face, only to hit a shell of chakra.

"Nakazor Hakkeshō Kaiten (Midair Eight Trigram palm Heavenly Spin)!" yelled Hinata as she spun to create a ball of chakra around her that flung Akuma Sasuke away from her.

Akuma Sasuke flew only a short distance before a yell of "Bunshin Kaiten Kakatou Otoshi (Clone Spinning Heel Drop)!" marked Naruto's return to the battle as he, along with several clones, dropped down from where they had leapt into the air after Naruto reached the surface of the water and leapt into the air to begin spinning after creating the clones. Now they all brought their heels down on Akuma Sasuke's shoulders and heads. The possessed boy slammed into the surface of the water river beneath the waterfall and broke through, where several shuriken thrown by Hinata kept him from immediately attacking again. The Hyuuga girl ran towards the nearest statue and grabbed Naruto as he continued to fall and the two ran up the statue to gain a height advantage.

Akuma Sasuke climbed to the surface of the water and scowled as he glared at the two Konoha shinobi. "You two are getting annoying, it's time to end this!" The possessed boy started forming handseals that had Naruto shoving Hinata behind him. "Chidori (One Thousand Birds)!" roared Akuma Sasuke as he charged up the attack. Naruto formed a Rasengan in his right hand and charged down the giant carving towards Akuma Sasuke as he crouched on the water. Akuma Sasuke leapt up and sprinted towards Naruto, both boys pulling back their arms to bring their attacks together. The two attacks slammed into one another and the water kicked up by the collision obscured Naruto and Akuma Sasuke for a few moments. Then the two masses of chakra exploded, throwing both boys away from one another. Akuma Sasuke managed to keep his balance as he landed while Naruto rolled along the river's surface before getting to his feet. 'Time to finish this brat off!' thought the possessed boy as he quickly formed hand seals before ending in the tiger seal. "Kuro Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Dark Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)!" yelled Akuma Sasuke as he released a dozen balls of dark fire at Naruto, whose eyes widened at the dark variation of Sasuke's usual technique. All the fireballs slammed into Naruto in an explosion of dark fire that rose into the sky and caused Hinata to let out a scream of rage.

"You bastard!" yelled Hinata before she seemed to disappear and reappear in Akuma Sasuke's face with her Byakugan activated. "Hyaku Retsu Shō (One Hundred Violent Palms)!" yelled Hinata as her hands became blurs as they slammed into Akuma Sasuke. The possessed boy went flying backwards as Hinata slammed the final blow into his chest. Akuma Sasuke could only skip across the water under the force of the blow and slam into the canyon wall. "Naruto-kun!" whispered Hinata, only to gasp as a giant pillar of blue fire exploded upwards from within the black inferno and destroyed it.

"Whew, Kitsune Bi no Tate (Shield of Fox Fire) saved my butt!" exclaimed Naruto before he was tackled by an overjoyed Hinata. "Hey, I'm alright… now let's grab Sasuke and go home!" said Naruto as he hugged Hinata.

"Well, you're tougher than I thought," said Akuma Sasuke as he pulled himself from the canyon wall and activated level one of his curse seal.

Naruto scowled and muttered, "Back up Hinata, I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this….." as he drew Nenshousaiga from its scabbard on his back. Sasuke charged towards Naruto, who dashed forwards to meet him halfway.

(0o0o0)

"What? You sent four new Chuunin and five genin after Sasuke's kidnappers?" yelled Kakashi as he stared at Tsunade in shock.

"And a highly wounded Chunin lead a team of three genin after them?" continued Rin.

"There was no other choice given the situation in the village. Besides, these are your students, have some faith in them," replied the blonde Hokage as she shifted through some mission scrolls. As she looked up, she saw both Jounin leaving her office. "Where are you two going? Your next missions have already been decided," she said as she held up two S rank mission sheets.

"We'll be back after we're finished, don't worry," said Kakashi. Tsunade just smirked, while summoning Kurenai and Asuma to take the mission since she had expected this to happen.

(0o0o0)

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" yelled Kakashi outside Konoha's gate. A large cloud of smoke announced the arrival of his pack of Ninken (Ninja dogs). "Scatter and find the scent of Naruto and Sasuke, then keep going," said the Copy Ninja. The dogs leapt off at high speeds, noses searching for the scents of the boys they had played with during Kakashi's time as their babysitter.

"Don't worry, those two have a strong bond and won't let each other die," said Rin.

"True," said Kakashi while his visible eye curved into an upside down U. Then a howl alerted the two Jounin to the direction they had to take and Rin summoned her giant feather to carry them swiftly.

(0o0o0)

Naruto's grip on Nenshousaiga was broken as Akuma Sasuke kicked his arm after a barrage of punches. The katana slammed into the closest statue, sticking into the stone like a hot knife into butter. Naruto let out a curse that would have Kyuubi washing his mouth out with soap. A sudden chirping was all the warning Naruto had before Akuma Sasuke rammed a Chidori into and through Naruto's chest. "Heh, weak little hanyou. You wouldn't stand a chance against me. I've impaled your right lung. Now the last thing you'll see is me breaking that girl!" The Uchiha boy ripped his arm out of Naruto as turned towards Hinata, who was paralyzed by the sight of Naruto with a hole in his chest. Akuma Sasuke grabbed Hinata and grabbed her throat as she came out of her shock, only to find him choking her. Hinata struggled to channel chakra to her hands and disable her attacker's arms, only to see the world going black. A movement behind the possessed boy caught her attention and she stared as Naruto rose to his feet.

"You leave Hinata-chan ALONE!" Roared Naruto as his wound was rapidly healed by the increased amount of youki he was gathering. "Hakkei Enokorogusa (Release Internal Power Foxtail)!" yelled Naruto. One of Naruto's tails suddenly split into two separate tails, leaving him with seven tails instead of the six he had previously. The whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks had thickened and his eyes had changed to the fox slited ones that showed how much youki was rushing through his body. Naruto dashed forward, almost too fast for Akuma Sasuke to see, and slugged him in the cheek, causing him to loose his grip on Hinata, who fell into Naruto's arms while gasping for air, and sending him skipping across the water.

Akuma Sasuke landed on his back, only to see Naruto above him and preparing to land another blow. The possessed Uchiha raised his hands in the tiger seal and yelled, "Kuro Katon: Goukakyuu (Black Fire Style: Grand Fireball) no Jutsu!" before releasing a huge ball of black flame at Naruto, who simply let out a loud yell that caused the fireball to burst apart before it could hit him. 'Impossible, with his chakra alone…' thought Akuma Sasuke as he sank into the river. Suddenly the water was kicked into a maelstrom as Naruto dove into the water and started using Shunshin to batter his possessed brother from all sides. Finally, Akuma Sasuke was hit out of the water and into the nearby cliff wall, where Naruto leapt up and pinned him with his body.

"Come on Sasuke, I know you're in there, break his control!" growled the fox boy.

"Stop talking like he can retake control," growled the fiend, "I'm the only one in here now!"

"That's not true! Otou-san said that the best shinobi can express their words when their fists meet. Every time I land a blow I hear Sasuke cheering for me and wanting me to knock you out so he can take control back!" yelled Naruto. He was so caught up in his passion filled speech that Akuma Sasuke easily got his leg free and kicked Naruto off of him. Both boys stood on the cliff side with their chakra, preparing to make their next move, before Akuma Sasuke suddenly grabbed his head.

"No, you can't possibly take control, I'm the master here!" he yelled in outrage. The boys head dipped for a moment and when it came up Naruto was staring into Sasuke's Sharingan eyes as the curse seal markings receded a bit

"Naruto, do whatever it takes to stop him, even killing me!" yelled Sasuke before his eyes suddenly gained a third tomma, signifying Sasuke had prepared himself for death if it meant keeping his friends and family safe. Then the curse seal returned and the red Sharingan became the dark purple of the curse seal's evil chakra as the marking spread across the boy's face.

"Kukukukukukukukuku, the brat gave me the final tool to kill you with, fox!" yelled Akuma Sasuke. Naruto growled and charged forward, only to see the possessed boy duck aside like he could easily predict what Naruto was about to do. Naruto's next lunge reintroduced his face to Akuma Sasuke's fist as the fiend combined his new ability to perceive Naruto's future movements with an offensive attack. Naruto fell off the cliff face and hit the river, only to burst out a second later. Sadly, Akuma Sasuke managed to counter the attack and trapped Naruto in his Shishi Rendan. The attack ended with Akuma Sasuke gripping Naruto's foot and being the only thing that kept him from sinking into the water.

(0o0o0)

Inside Naruto's mind, a giant forest clearing marked the resting place of Kyu when Naruto hadn't summoned her. She had watched with her heart in her mouth as her nephew and his friends fought to return Sasuke and now it seemed Naruto would pay with his life. The nine tailed fox knew there was only one thing she could do for Naruto. "Naruto, don't you dare die on us!" she yelled before releasing a red flood of power out of the clearing that rushed through Naruto's body.

(0o0o0)

Akuma Sasuke dropped Naruto in shock as youki erupted from the blonde's body and covered him, quickly healing his wounds and forming a fox shaped aura around him, complete with an eighth tail made of chakra. Naruto dropped to all fours, suddenly bearing an eerie resemblance to Kiba when he used his Shikyaku no Jutsu. Naruto charged Akuma Sasuke and he could barely see the image that showed what Naruto was about to do. Even more unnerving was how the image appeared behind him. Akuma Sasuke moved aside as Naruto moved just like the images predicted, only to have a paw of Naruto's aura slam into him and send him flying. The possessed boy spat out a giant dark fireball at Naruto, preparing for the sight of a burning corpse sinking into the water.

Instead he heard Hinata yell, "Hakke Fuu Tate (Eight Divination Seal Shield)!" as a wall of chakra in the shape of the eight trigram shield blocked the fireball. Hinata panted slightly and Naruto whined softly while rubbing against her leg. "I'm okay Naruto-kun, just finish this quickly!" she said as she patted him on the head. He had been like this once before when she had been attacked by a bear in the forest and had the wind knocked out of her. Naruto was acting more fox-like than normal, but she knew he wouldn't hurt her at all.

Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke and raised a chakra covered fist before binging it down. One of his giant aura paws shot out of the main aura and slammed Akuma Sasuke against the canyon wall. Naruto appeared above him with Shunshin, grabbing him and pulling him in for a chakra packed punch that send him crashing into the wall again. Akuma Sasuke collapsed for a second before starting to laugh. "Kukukukukukuku, I'm not even hurt! Now I'll show you my true form!" With that the curse seal marks merged together and the familiar raven locks turned white and grew longer. A cross shaped mark appeared on the boy's face, while short claws now adorned his hands. "Now I'll finish this!" roared Akuma Sasuke.

"Not so fast!" growled Naruto as he charged forward and slammed an aura paw into Akuma Sasuke. However, the attack was blocked by a giant demonic webbed hand that sprouted from the fiend's back along with a second hand, which Naruto realized were wings. The possessed boy immediately formed hand seals and knelt to activate the Chidori, while Naruto quickly formed a Rasengan that was a bright blue inside a red shell. The Chidori didn't make its distinctive chirping sound, this time it let out a loud roar and was made of dark lightning. Both boys leapt towards one another.

Naruto's yell of "Odama Rasengan (Great Ball Spiraling Sphere)!" as he thrust the glowing orb forward to meet Akuma Sasuke's dark Chidori as the possessed boy yelled, "Habataku Chidori (Flapping One Thousand Birds)!"

Both attacks slammed together, neither one giving way as Hinata watched fearfully. "Impossible, how can you, a hanyou, have such power?" demanded Akuma Sasuke.

"I'm half human asshole, and when a human has something precious to protect they grow exponentially stronger! My human side doesn't make me weaker, it makes me stronger! As long as I have Hinata-chan, my family, friends, and Sasuke I won't ever lose when I'm protecting one of them!" yelled Naruto.

A giant ball of raw chakra from the fight of the techniques surrounded the boys, but Hinata clearly saw Akuma Sasuke's arm dive downward towards Naruto's chest while the fox boy released the outer shell at the last second, stunning the possessed boy. Instantly the chakra ball started to expand and Hinata was caught up in a wave of chakra that tossed her down the river. She suddenly felt a giant hand grab her and pull her aside from the edge of the valley to avoid the fierce winds. Hinata looked up to see the sand siblings and members of both rescue teams perched on a panting tanuki made of sand. "What are you all doing here?" she demanded.

"We sensed you might need help and came," said Gaara as Shukaku deposited Hinata on his back. The giant sand tanuki had barely managed to reach the safety of the valley's edge in time to catch Hinata and prevent her from slamming into the first solid object she encountered at dangerous speeds and then pull her to safety. Finally the chaos of the explosion faded and Shukaku didn't have to be told to jump to the top of the valley, giving his passengers a chance to see how the fight had ended. Hinata gasped as she saw Akuma Sasuke starting to turn towards the Sound border while an unconscious Naruto lay on the ground next to a scratched Konoha Hitai-ate.

Hinata immediately leapt down from Shukaku and charged Akuma Sasuke with a chakra charged palm. The fiend spun to face her, only to see her stop and stare at something behind him. Spinning around, Akuma Sasuke's face met Shino's fist as the Aburame heir slugged him hard. Shino's bugs immediately went to work and swarmed Akuma Sasuke draining the last of his chakra away. "I happened to be passing by with my father and waited here as a measure of last resort while he hurried to Konoha for reinforcements," said the bug user when he saw Hinata's surprised stare.

Kudora landed beside the downed boy and pink light gathered around her palm. "Time to go back to the hell that spawned you fiend!" she snarled before slamming her palm onto the curse seal with a yell of "Shinyuu Fuuin (Heavenly Protection Seal)!" Akuma Sasuke let out a scream and collapsed as a circle formed by the kanji for heaven appeared around the curse seal. "That should hold it in check for a while," declared the tiger girl. What she didn't say was that Sasuke's body needed intensive care due to the corrupted chakra flowing through it. He would be okay for now, but they needed to get him back to Konoha soon.

As soon as she knew Sasuke would be okay, Hinata ran towards Naruto to find Gishou pawing at his friend's head and whimpering when Naruto didn't respond. Hinata quickly started performing a medical jutsu to check his body for problems, only to have Haku grab her hands and stop her from activating the technique. "Stop, I'll do it, I've been resting the last few minutes and you have a more useful healing jutsu if he's almost dead," she said before starting to check Naruto over. "Kuso, he's almost out of chakra and his heart is exhausted!" she yelled. "Hinata, now!"

"Zenyu Houyoku (Complete Healing Phoenix Wings)!" yelled Hinata as the wings of flame erupted form her back and enfolded Naruto and her as Haku stepped back. Rin's feather descended at that moment and the two Jounin jumped down to inspect their charges.

"We need to get Sasuke back to Konoha immediately," said Rin after she checked the Uchiha boy over. "The rest of you stay here and bring Naruto and Hinata back when Hinata releases that jutsu!" Everyone nodded as Rin pulled Sasuke onto her feather followed by Haku to keep Sasuke stable. The feather shot through the air and towards Konoha so fast it left a sonic boom behind.

(0o0o0)

Naruto wandered through the forest he found himself in, wondering how he got here and where Sasuke and Hinata were. As he came to an opening in the clearing, he found himself facing a completely human version of himself as well as a version of himself with nine tails and fox eyes. "It's about time you got here, we were afraid we were going to lose you," said the human Naruto.

"Where is here?" asked Naruto.

"We're inside your mind. He's your human side, I'm your demon side," said the nine tailed Naruto. "Right now you used so much youki that your body is in chaos with your youkai and chakra fighting for dominance. You have to make a choice. Will you be human or youkai?"

"What do you mean I have to choose?" yelled Naruto.

"Simple, if you don't choose one the conflicting energies will tear you apart," said his human half.

"That's total BS, even Kakashi-sensei could lie better than that when he's late!" declared Naruto as he crossed his arms.

"Come on, don't tell us you don't want the chance to be complete in either way!" snorted Youkai Naruto.

"As I told that asshole, I'm a hanyou. I don't need the full power of nine tails to be strong and I don't care that I'm half kitsune. I'm me, Uzumaki Naruto, future Rokudaime of Konohagakure no Sato (Village Hidden Among the Tree Leaves)!" yelled Naruto.

Both of Naruto's sides looked at one another before turning to him with big grins. "Stubborn little brat. You passed the test," said Youkai Naruto.

"Only the strongest hanyou have these type of visions to test if they're worthy of increasing their powers. Some choose the path of living as a human to be with their loved ones while others try to take the easy path to becoming a full youkai. Very few have made the choice to stay a half demon and not change them selves. Now that you have made your decision, it's time to wake up!" Naruto closed his eyes as a bright white light hit them and when he opened them he was staring into Hinata's tear filled face as her flaming wings embraced him.

"Don't cry my Shugotenshinoyounashoujo (Guardian Angel of a Girl)!" whispered Naruto as he raised one hand to wipe away Hinata's tears. Hinata immediately hugged Naruto and kissed him all over his face, not caring about the coos of delight the watching girls made as the wings faded and revealed the couple.

"If the two of you are up to it, we have to return to the village," said Kakashi. "If not I'd be happy to lend you my book for inspiration." This last part was said with a grin that was visible even through the copy ninja's face mask. Said copy ninja was immediately dodging icicles, fists, kunai, shuriken, arrows, and other sharp pointy objects aimed at his manhood. After a few minutes of this, Naruto had regained enough energy and Gaara dismissed Shukaku before using the sand that made up the tanuki's body to carry everyone out of the valley. The group then leapt off towards Konoha, leaving the valley in a state of chaos.

(0o0o0)

As the group passed the bone forest where the dead body of Kimimaro lay, Naruto and Hinata could only stare in shock at the results of the battle between Kimimaro, Haku, Lee, and Gaara. Naruto let out a low whistle and was very glad he had not fought against Kimimaro any more than he had. As the group neared the decimated forest where Shikamaru and Temari had fought Tayuya, Naruto suddenly caught the scent of something that caused him to skid to a stop on a tree branch. Kiba and Akemi both caught the same scent and halted as well, all three working to track the scent. "It's that girl from the Sound Five… she's still alive and moving towards Konoha even though she's heavily wounded," muttered Naruto.

The group followed the three trackers and they finally found the girl crawling towards Konoha. As they landed around her Tayuya looked up and found herself staring into Naruto's eyes. Tayuya managed to whisper, "Orochimaru…. Tricked…. Blamed….. Konoha…" before she fainted.

"Troublesome, what do we do with her?" asked Shikamaru.

"We take her back to Konoha, we can get a lot of information from her if we question her," said Kakashi as he pulled some ninja wire from his supply pouch and tied of Tayuya. The silver haired Jounin easily placed Tayuya over his shoulder and the group set off again for Konoha.

**And that's a wrap. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. If my laptop starts working I'll be able to write more soon, but if not you should not expect another chapter for a while.**


	23. Tail 22: Recuperation

**Roar of the Dragon: Well Fanime this year was a bit of a disappointment. I really only enjoyed the two One Piece movies I saw and the Rurouni Kenshin marathon. But I'm inspired by the RK manga to write!**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

**Warning, from this chapter on the rest of the Naruto manga gets thrown out of the window mostly. I'll be using things from the current manga chapters that occur after a three year time skip, so there are some slight spoilers, but nothing too major.**

As the rescue party reached the gates of Konoha, everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the familiar gates and walls that protected their home. Some medics accompanied by Shino's father had already picked up Neji, Aki, and Chouji, who were in the most danger of reverting to their previous states, and rushed them to the hospital with Ino being reassured that her boyfriend would not die in the next few hours thanks to the normal soldier pills and ration bars she had fed him, so everyone who was left was in relatively fine shape and happy to see their home. Naruto and Akemi in particular perked up when they saw Ken standing by the gates waiting for them. The Yondaime held out his arms and both of his children were in them in seconds. "I'm very proud of both of you. I've seen Sasuke and your mother is working on him right now. Haku already told both her and Tsunade the status of the rest of you and I have some instructions," here Ken regarded the rest of the returning group. "Everyone to Tsunade's office where I'll debrief you, she's busy finding a way to halt the damage caused by those pills Chouji took." Everyone followed Ken to his former office and stared at the piles of paperwork waiting to be finished by Tsunade that sat beside numerous empty sake bottles. Ken snapped his fingers and a white coated ANBU in a dog mask appeared. "Take the prisoner to the dangerous prisoner section of the hospital and post your men outside the windows and door, we don't know what she is capable of." The ANBU captain nodded and took the red headed Sound kunoichi from Kakashi before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. "All right, I want a full report from each of you. Shikamaru, start from where you all set out and then each person tell me what happened."

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru before launching into the story of what occurred after the group left Konoha.

(0o0o0)

Tayuya found herself in the middle of a room she recognized well, though she hadn't seen it for ten years. "No how can I be back here again? I already had to relive this memory!" she gasped before she saw a small red haired girl sleeping in the bed in the room. A quick glance at the calendar on the wall confirmed her fears. "I'm back at that day…." She whispered before the door opened.

"Yuya-chan, time for breakfast," said a beautiful woman with kind eyes as she poked her head in the door.

"Hai Oka-san!" yawned the little girl as she sat up rubbing her eyes. Tayuya could only watch as her younger self got dressed and headed to the kitchen. She followed the girl as she ate breakfast and ran off to the Hidden Cloud Academy.

As the bell rang and Chibi Tayuya ran home, the older Tayuya whispered, "No, don't!" as the girl approached her home. Tayuya ran forward, desperate to stop her younger self from entering the house, only to find her arms passed right through Chibi Tayuya, just like they had during the previous time she saw these events replayed when she was near death in the decimated forest. The little girl entered the home and froze. Both versions of Tayuya stared at the sight that met their eyes in horror. Their mother had been beheaded and was just falling to the ground while a man in a Konoha Jounin uniform finished the stroke with his sword that had killed her. Tayuya's blood froze as she recognized the man, it was Orochimaru wearing one of his false faces with a pair of Hyuuga eyes. Chibi Tayuya screamed and charged the man, a kunai appearing in her hand. Orochimaru struck right through her feeble guard and sent her flying right through her older self. Tayuya could only stand there in shock. She clearly remembered seeing the man who killed her mother resembling a Hyuuga since her father had been the missing nin who attempted to kidnap the Hyuuga Heiress. The older Tayuya started to cry as she remembered how she realized how Orochimaru had played on that to get her into his clutches by eliminating her mother and forcing her to grow up on the streets of Kumo with no one but herself. It had taken her near death experience to see the truth and given her the strength to crawl out of the rubble of the forest and towards Konoha.

(0o0o0)

Tayuya lurched upwards in her hospital bed with a scream of "Mother!" that instantly had her surrounded by ANBU with the blade of a sword at her throat. Seeing the Konoha forces guarding her she collapsed back against the bed sobbing.

"Alright, let me talk to her," said a voice. Everyone looked to the door of the room where a tired looking Kyuubi was waiting. The ANBU nodded and backed away from Tayuya before disappearing in clouds of smoke. Kyuubi walked up to Tayuya, who was sobbing into her hands and gently stroked her hair. "Shhh, it's alright, I'm here," murmured the fox woman. Tayuya instantly latched onto Kyuubi, still sobbing and the fox woman wrapped her in a hug. Glancing up she saw Naruto and Akemi poke their heads into the room from where they'd been talking in the hall about Sasuke's condition and silently waved them into the room with a tail. The two fox children slipped in quietly and sat down in chairs by Tayuya's bed. "Now little one, tell me what's wrong," said Kyuubi.

"That bastard Orochimaru tricked me. All these years I thought it was a Hyuuga Jounin who murdered my mother because my father was the missing nin who almost kidnapped the Hyuuga Heiress and I blamed Konoha for her death. I've been fighting the people who would have helped me track down that twisted snake and rip his f-ing tongue out! Now that I know that the only thing left for me is to try to kill him before he can use the curse seal to destroy my soul!"

"That little old curse seal? It's no match for my Kyutenshi Fuuin (Nine Natural Elements Seal)!" declared Kyuubi.

"But we broke the seal on that poor kid's curse seal with a pill containing Orochi-temi's chakra and blood!" yelled Tayuya.

"That was Yontenshi Fuuin (Four Natural Elements Seal), which is only half as strong. Nothing gets through the stronger seal unless the user wants it to," said Kyuubi.

Tayuya's eyes gained a new light and she instantly bowed her head to show her curse seal on the back of her neck. "Please seal it, I can feel the evil lingering in me and I don't want any trace of that bastard's chakra in me! I swear on my clan, the Kurotenshi (Black Angel) that I'll fight for Konoha and tell you everything I know about that gay faggot's plans and bases." she yelled.

Kyuubi immediately wrote the elemental symbols just like when Kyu sealed up Shukaku and activated the jutsu. Tayuya blacked out and Kyuubi laid her down on the bed before shooing Naruto and Akemi out of the room. The fox woman then leaned over and kissed Tayuya's brow gently, causing the stress on the girl's face to fade. "Sleep well little one, may your dreams be peaceful," whispered Kyuubi before tucking Tayuya in and quietly walking towards the door. She turned and smiled as Tayuya murmured, "Oka-san…" sleepily before she closed the door. Naruto and Akemi were waiting outside the room, and Naruto grinned at the look on his mother's face.

"Can I assume I'm going to be getting another big sister?" asked the fox boy.

Kyuubi patted Naruto on the head as she said, "You just might. I think she would fit in well and enjoy a sense of belonging. Work your magic on her kit, she needs a friend."

Naruto nodded before glancing down the hall where Sasuke's room was. "How long until Sasuke is awake?"

Kyuubi ruffled Naruto's hair as she said, "I'm we'll know the moment he's awake by Haku's reaction. A squeal of delight means he's okay and a cry of rage means the fiend is in control and Haku will kick its ass to get him back."

"Haku-nee-chan is scary when she gets angry," said Akemi as she well remembered the reaction of her chasing Haku's pet bunny rabbit. She had been pinned to a wall for an hour before Zabuza got home and pulled the senbon out of the wall to let her down, muttering about stupid girls and instincts getting the best of them.

"Yeah, that bastard would wish he'd never been born after she gets through with him," replied Naruto. "Well, I'm off to check on the others."

Akemi nodded and followed her brother while saying, "And I must check on Kiba-chan." The two fox siblings walked away, though Kyuubi could hear Akemi pestering Naruto about his seventh tail for a few moments.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke snarled as he fought Akuma Sasuke in the space of his mind. The two had been battling for control of the body ever since Sasuke had managed to gain control briefly in the Valley of the End. Sasuke snarled as his dark half kicked him away from the room they were fighting in. Like Neji, Sasuke's mental room was a training dojo. Battered training dummies of Orochimaru and Itachi leaned against the wall, while a picture of Sasuke with the Uzumaki family and Hinata during a picnic from several years ago showed his commitment to his family. A small shrine to his parents sat under the picture, with the picture of his father being adorned with a plaque saying Worst Father in Konoha since Fugaku had rarely acknowledged Sasuke's skills and constantly compared them to Itachi's own superior skills.

"Get out of my body!" yelled Sasuke as he rebounded off the dojo wall and did a spinning roundhouse to Akuma Sasuke's face.

"Never, I refuse to return to the fiend realm and leave this vessel to you!" yelled Akuma Sasuke. He flipped with the force of Sasuke's blow and mule kicked Sasuke, sending him crashing into his parents' shrine. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the shrine was destroyed and the Chidori blazed to life in his hands. Sasuke charged his dark double, who dodged to the side, only to see Sasuke had planned for that and rebounded off the wall again to ram the Chidori into the fiend's back. Akuma Sasuke crashed into the dojo wall, where he lay still for a moment before staggering to his feet. "You're definitely tougher than I thought," said the fiend as he released his grotesque wings. "Feel my power and despair!" Akuma Sasuke charged towards Sasuke, only to feel a fist slam into his head and knock him for a loop. Both versions of Sasuke stared at the new player in the battle. It was Itachi, but not the Itachi that haunted Sasuke's dreams. This was the kind big brother who taught him shuriken and kunai tricks, carried him home after he fell down, and always encouraged him to grow stronger.

"I won't let you hurt my little brother," snarled Itachi before he made the tiger seal and yelled, "Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Naplam Blast)!" A giant dragon of fire shot out of Itachi's mouth and engulfed Akuma Sasuke, who countered with a burst of dark chakra that destroyed the dragon. However, he found himself hit from behind this time by a frying pan and spun to see Uchiha Mikoto glaring down at him.

"Leave my son alone, demon!" she yelled before clobbering him again with the frying pan.

"How is this possible? You're only memories!" snarled Akuma Sasuke.

"I may be dead, but a mother's spirit is always watching over her children," said Mikoto as her kimono was replaced by ANBU attire complete with an eagle mask. Sasuke remembered all the stories his mother used to tell him of her days as the Red Eyed Eagle and grinned at Akuma Sasuke.

"Oh, you are going down so badly… my mom is going to kick your ass into the next century!" yelled Sasuke, only to get a bop on the head from Mikoto.

"Now son, don't use such strong language on useless trash," she said before blurring away. Akuma Sasuke suddenly found his wings lying on the ground and screamed in pain as Mikoto reappeared. "You're definitely not my son," she said to the fiend before kicking him to Itachi, who had a nasty grin on his face as he donned his weasel ANBU armor. The boy also blurred and Akuma Sasuke's arms fell to the ground.

"Show your true form demon," said Itachi. Akuma Sasuke's skin turned dark purple and scaly while his legs fused together and his hair receded into his skin. Now a giant purple snake loomed over the three Uchiha members.

"Sasuke, my son, use this to finish him off," said a new voice as Fugaku stepped up to rest one hand on Sasuke's shoulder and placed a scroll in the boy's hand. Sasuke opened the scroll and stared as he realized he held the contract for the fire dragons passed down from clan head to clan head.

"Thank you Otou-san," said Sasuke as he bit his thumb to get the blood needed to sign the contract. As soon as his name and handprint were in the scroll, Sasuke's hands blurred through the seals for the jutsu.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" yelled Sasuke. He was momentarily obscured by the smoke from the jutsu. When it cleared, Sasuke knelt on top of a giant red dragon.

"Well, well, summoned in the mind of the Uchiha hatchling, I never expected this," stated the dragon. "What's your name hatchling?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, sir."

"Well Sasuke, I am Pyreforge, lord of the fire dragons. Summon me in the real world and I'll give you my blessing once you can perform Katon: Karyu Endan. For now I'll dispose of this worm and leave you with your memories of your family." The giant purple snake reared up in anger, revealing saber like fangs that dripped poison.

"You will not find me easssssssssy prey dragon, I am one of the mossssssst powerful fiendssssssss in thisssssssssss land!" hissed the snake.

"Hmph, little worms should keep their mouths shut when their betters are talking," said Pyreforge before he inhaled lots of air and released a giant wave of fire from his mouth. The purple snake fiend leapt aside and barely avoided the attack. It then burrowed underground, preparing to strike at the dragon's less armored underside from beneath. Pyreforge had other ideas and took to the air, so the snake only hit air when it lunged up from the earth. Then Pyreforge's tail slammed into the snake, sending it crashing into the dojo wall. The snake shook its head just in time to hear four distinctive chirping sounds as the entire Uchiha family slammed a Chidori each into its head. The snake shuddered and collapsed into death before disappearing. "Well done hatchling, I shall see you in the world of the living when you have recovered enough to summon me," said the dragon before he too disappeared.

"Just as I expected of my son," said Fugaku as he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "You have a wonderful girl and I know you will continue to make us proud."

"My son, it is a joy to be able to give Haku-chan and you my blessing. Please feel free to give her all of my kimonos I know you had Kyuubi-san pack them away after my death. I also want you to have my old sword, it is hidden in the post of our bed." said Mikoto before she kissed Sasuke on the forehead.

"Sasuke, kill that abomination that has stolen my face and body. I'm trapped between this world and the afterlife due to the actions of the elders. Free me so I can rest in peace," said Itachi before he poked Sasuke in the forehead with his forefingers.

"I promise I will do as you ask. But I will not let vengeance consume me, I shall live a happy life to spite that menace and protect my friends and family," declared Sasuke.

"Good, now wake up, Haku-chan is starting to cry," said Mikoto.

(0o0o0)

Haku sighed as she held Sasuke's hand amidst the beeping of machines that told her that her boyfriend was still alive. Sasuke's brow was furrowed, showing he was either thinking hard or struggling with something in his sleep. "Come back to me Sasuke-kun, koishi (Beloved)," she whispered as she sighed and stood up to get a drink of water from the pitcher in the room. Just as she lifted the pitcher up, a flare of evil chakra caused her to spin around. The curse seal was pulsing and suddenly the three tomoe merged together and became a purple snake that raised poisonous fangs to bite Sasuke.

"If I can't have your body, no one can!" hissed the snake before it struck. Haku didn't even stop to think, she hurled the pitcher at the snake and it slammed the reptile against the hospital wall before the snake could bite Sasuke. Then a senbon pinned the snake to the wall without killing it.

"Oka-san is going to love studying you!" declared Haku with a smirk as the snake hissed and cursed her. The door slammed open to reveal Kyuubi with a ball of fox fire in her hand ready to attack anything threatening her kit.

"What's going on in here?" she demanded.

Now that the rush of adrenaline had faded, Haku started to tremble at how close Sasuke had come to death. "Sasuke-kun… curse seal… snake… (Sniff)…"

"Don't cry Haku-chan," whispered a soft voice, causing Kyuubi and Haku to focus on the bed, where Sasuke was sleepily looking at them. "Heh, Naruto, Hinata, and Shino really did a number on that bastard, my body feels like it's been through the wringer."

"Sasuke-kun…" gasped Haku before she launched herself forward to engulf him in her arms. "Don't you dare leave me again!" she sobbed as she held him tight.

"Don't worry, the only way I'll be standing at Orochimaru's side is when I stab a kunai into his black heart!" said Sasuke as he stroked Haku's hair.

"Now that's the Sasuke I know!" declared Naruto as he stepped into the room and grinned at his blood brother. "As soon as you're back in shape we're starting to train to take that snake bastard down!"

"Heh, dobe, just the two of us isn't enough to take him down, it'll take all our friends helping us to even get close to him!" countered Sasuke.

"No going after the gay pedophile Sannin for a year," said Kyuubi mildly as she checked Sasuke's vital signs. "Well, everything looks good, but you're staying here for the night Sasuke," she said.

"That's fine with me, I need the rest," muttered Sasuke before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Haku smiled and was about to sit down beside Sasuke when Kyuubi's tails lifted her up and placed her under the covers with him.

"And you young lady are staying with him! You ran out of the hospital before you were released and fought a hard battle. Get some sleep!" declared Kyuubi as Haku turned bright red and faint wisps of steam could be seen rising off her face. The fox woman then shooed Naruto out of the room and looked back at her oldest kits with a smile before closing the door behind her as she left the room with the snake trapped in her grip. A quick trip to her office and the snake was stuck in a jar he couldn't break and ready for all sorts of experiments Kyuubi had planned.

(0o0o0)

"So sis, how is Akamaru doing?" Kiba asked his sister Hana as she looked the little dog over.

"He's very lucky, the leg is setting well and you didn't jostle him too much so the break is clean. You did an excellent job of treating him Akemi-chan," said the veterinarian Inuzuka as she tied a splint onto Akamaru's leg.

"Thank you Hana-san," replied Akemi with a slight blush.

"I think you have a good future as one of our clan specialists in animal care," continued the older Inuzuka girl. "My little brother is lucky to have you to help him take care of Akamaru." A sudden knock at the door had Hana glancing up before saying, "Enter."

The door opened to reveal Kyuubi and Naruto. "Just thought you should know Sasuke woke up, he's back to his old self," said Naruto with a grin. "Haku is resting with him now."

"Good, Haku-nee-chan was worried sick about him!" declared Akemi.

"Yeah. Well rest up you two, as soon as everyone has recovered we're going to start training hard to make Orochimaru pay for trying to kidnap Sasuke!" declared Naruto.

"Alright, that snake bastard will be sorry he ever messed with one of us, because now he'll have to deal with all of us!" cheered Kiba.

"More importantly he messed with the Uzumaki family and we always get payback, right Naruto-ni-chan?" asked Akemi.

Naruto's answer was a big grin as he said, "Right, and we're going to train so hard all of you will pass the next Chunnin Exam with ease!"

"That's nice and all, but this is a hospital and you need to quiet down," said Hana as she lightly bonked Naruto on the head.

"Sorry Hana-san. Well, I'm off to check on Hinata-chan, Neji, and Aki-chan," said Naruto as he walked out of the room rubbing his head."

"Heh, if he keeps up that attitude that boy will be Rokudaime," said Hana with a smile.

"I know, Naruto-ni-san always puts Konoha and his friends first," said Akemi.

"Heck, I'd follow him into Hell and back!" declared Kiba.

(0o0o0)

"You know, you didn't have to jump in front of me like that," muttered Neji as he glanced at Aki. The two were heavily wrapped up in bandages and medical tags to increase regeneration. While Haku had been able to stabilize them on Shukaku's back, they had been rushed to treatment by Rin and were both lucky to be alive. It had taken Shizune and Rin working together with a giant seal array and several support medic nin each to heal the two using bits of their hair as a medium. The two were now stuck in a room by themselves while Hinata informed their family members of the situation.

"I didn't have time to think, my body just acted. And I thought my shield would block it, I had no idea he could react so quickly and avoid hitting it," muttered Aki.

"Next time think of a plan that doesn't involve throwing yourself in the path of an attack," countered Neji.

"Okay, Mr. Genius, then what should I have done, let you get skewered by that arrow?" demanded Aki.

"No…. but…." Neji's voice trailed off as he realized Aki was right and she had jumped in front of the attack without hesitation. 'I'm never going to understand girls…' thought the Hyuuga genius before the door slammed open and he found his mother sobbing over him as she hugged him, though she was careful to keep from squeezing too tight and aggravating his injuries. Hizashi followed his wife in and Neji caught a glimpse of his uncle, aunt, and cousins watching from the door with smiles on their faces.

A flicker of movement by Aki's bed caught Neji's eye and he hurled himself out of his mother's arms and towards Aki while grabbing a kunai from his holster that was sitting on his bedside table. Kunai clashed against Kunai as Aki's mother Kanna parried the blow with her own kunai. The Tamahashi matriarch raised an eyebrow at Neji and snorted as he moved away from her. "A little jumpy, aren't you?" she asked, completely ignoring her daughter who looked away while clenching her fists.

Neji's eyes caught the signs of stress Aki was showing and he scowled inside his head while maintaining a calm mask. "I'm sorry Tamahashi-san, but the recent battle is still fresh in my mind. If it wasn't for your daughter I would be dead by now," said the Hyuuga genius.

"Is that so?" asked the woman with a raised eyebrow. Neji's inner scowl grew larger as he saw the woman clearly didn't believe him.

"Yes, she jumped in front of an attack that would have killed me and got heavily wounded in the process. She also managed to combine Shuriken Kage Bunshin with a new type of shuriken and severely wound a summoned monster enough for me to destroy it with a single blow," said Neji.

Kanna remained silent for a few seconds before she finally glanced at her daughter for the first time since she'd walked into the room. "So you've finally contributed to our clan at last." She said, completely ignoring the fact that her daughter could have died protecting someone else from dying themselves.

"Yes..." Aki muttered bitterly, clearly making an effort to not make eye contact.

"It's about time in my opinion. Others in our family before you, including me, have already made our own generous contributions. I added my own years before you even started. Your own father contributed three new clan skills all on his own!" The woman continued.

Aki's fisted hands clenched tighter as she struggled to remain calm. The mention of her father had caused old memories to stir up.

"Aki, are you even listening to me?" Mrs. Tamahashi's voice demanded.

"What?" Aki snapped venomously.

"Don't talk to me in that tone!" her mother bit back fiercely. Aki didn't say anything, deciding to let her continue her rant, whatever it was. "Now as I was saying, your own brother had his own skill added to the Tamahashi name when he barely became a Genin! And you, you've been a Genin for how long now? By this time Toji was already a Chuunin! You've turned out to be such a disappointment. I expected so much of you, after Toji became such an excellent shinobi-" Aki's mother went on. Aki couldn't handle her glorifying that bastard anymore. She shot back before she even knew what had happened.

"Excellent shinobi?" she heard herself say. "Don't you mean 'murderer'?" she demanded hotly.

"Murderer? He's your brother!" Mrs. Tamahashi replied, sounding shocked.

"Don't you _dare_ compare me to that bastard!" Aki shouted, her anger boiling to the surface at last.

"Toji was the best thing that happened to this family! He was such a good boy. He was such a good student and he was so perfect!"

"Last time I checked, perfect children don't murder their fathers! Perfect children love and protect their family! Not murder a loved one in cold blood and then knock out their sisters!"

"He made a mistake, Aki! He's still my perfect little boy! And I had hoped you'd be the same! I had hoped that you would have inherited his talent. But I expected far, far too much of you."

"Well, sorry I'm not your precious Toji!" Aki was screaming. Every ounce of hate and anger she'd ever felt was pouring out of her, and she couldn't stop. Her mother's shocked expression intensified and she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Aki ignored it she deserved to hear every word. And those words kept coming. "I'm so sick of it, Okaa-san! I'm sick of you! I'm so sick of you underestimating me and putting me down, hell, not even giving me a single _ounce_ of encouragement or any sort of regard for my existence! You've never given a DAMN about me! The only time you have actually cared enough to realize that I do, in fact exist, is when a situation arises where you will profit in the end by some twisted means! You're sick! You're so sick, and twisted, and heartless! You've never been here for me! And even when I needed it most, you were no where to be found!" Aki screamed at her, the entire room silent.

"Aki, that's not true!" her mother tried to protest. But Aki wouldn't let her. Oh no, she was just getting started. She needed to hear all of this. All the way to the very end.

"Shut up! I'm not finished yet!" Aki snapped at her, causing her to fall silent at once. "I've grown up _alone_. I've lived _alone_. And I honestly I don't know how the hell I would've pulled through all my hard times if it weren't for my friends and people that actually cared about me! Because it was in those times, those times that I needed you so much, that I needed you to just be there for me even for just _one__always_ had somewhere else to be, something else to do than to spare one second of your time on me. And why is that? Well, maybe it's because you think I'm not a good family example, or that I haven't achieved enough in my life, or maybe I'm just completely opposite of what you wanted me to be! Well here's a reality check, _Mother_, I'm doing the best I can, without _you_! And if you _really_ wanted me to succeed, then maybe you should've actually taken the time out of your life and helped mold me into the person you wanted me to become! And you know what hurts me the most, Mother? When Toji was still here, you spent every possible second with him, and made sure that he'd be successful. But you never did that with me. Because I just wasn't good enough for you. I was _never_ good enough to meet your expectations! But always, Toji was! Even if he failed where I triumphed! So you know what, I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I'm just not good enough for you! I'm sorry that I will never be good enough for you! I'm sorry that I'm not your god damned precious Toji! I'm sorry that I didn't turn out to be a murderous bastard! But one thing I'm _not_ sorry about is the fact that I'm so grateful I haven't turned out to be a stuck-up bitch like you! You abandoned me and didn't care AT ALL! What kind of mother does that? The one person I've needed my whole life has been nonexistent! I should hate you, and I do. Oh I really hate you. But most of all, I hate you for hating me!" Aki's rant had grown progressively louder in volume, until at last she was shrieking at the top of her lungs. All this anger, all this hate, it'd been dying to get out. And it finally broke free. She'd never felt so happy before. All this pain, all this suffering, she'd been holding it all inside. A huge weight on her heart had suddenly lifted. second! One second to just say, 'Oh Aki, it's alright. I know it's hard, but you've got to get through it! I know you can!' But no! You

Aki's mother stood silently, open-mouthed and gaping at her. She tried to speak, but her words seemed to have failed her several times before she was able to manage a hoarse reply of "But I'm your mother…I brought you into this world."

"No. You're not my mother. My mother died that night. She died in my father's arms. She was murdered by an intruder all those years ago. That intruder killed my father, my mother, and my brother too. I am a survivor. I am the one and only survivor of the Tamahashi clan. I am alone," Aki said finally, her voice finally no longer screaming, all her anger spent.

"Why? Why, Aki? Why are you saying this? Aki, I'm your _mother_!" Aki's mother yelled at her, overcome with shock and anger of her own.

"Get out! Get OUT! MY MOTHER IS DEAD! GET OUT!" Aki's patience had already worn thin, and that was the final straw. She'd had enough. Enough of her mother, her excuses, and her pleads for pity. She never wanted to see her again.

"Tamahashi-san… I think you need to leave!" said Kyuubi as she suddenly appeared in the doorway. Aki's mother looked like she would like to protest, but in the hospital Kyuubi's word was law. She had no choice but to leave. Stepping back into the shadows, she sank into them and left the room.

"Are you going to be okay, Aki-chan?" asked Neji's mother Hoshi as she sat down on the edge of Aki's bed.

"Hai, I just never want to see that witch except to get my things from her house!" yelled Aki.

"Well, since you saved my nephew's life, the least we can do is put you up. You'll be moving in with us when you're out of here," said Hiashi in a tone that said his mind was made up and he wouldn't take no for an answer. "In return you can help train some of the youngsters in their kunai and shuriken throwing techniques."

"Arigato Hiashi-sama!" said Aki as she inclined her head slightly in a bow.

(0o0o0)

Ino and Shikamaru were nervously sitting outside Chouji's room at the hospital while Choza Akimichi paced back and forth in front of the door keeping him from his son. Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara were watching their friend pace back and forth, though they didn't try to stop him. It had been a terrifying scramble as they received word of the returning team's condition from Haku and Rin. While Kyuubi and Tsunade frantically looked up the ingredients and effects of the Akimichi family's pills within the Nara medical archives so they could mix an antidote to halt the continuous cell destruction caused by the pills Chouji had taken, Choza had to be restrained by both of his friends' family techniques from running out to meet his son. The Akimichi boy had been placed in a room immediately after he reached the hospital and given the antidote while a worried Ino looked on with the fathers quietly praying to all the gods they could think of to help Chouji. Now they waited for Tsunade to announce if the procedure was a success. Temari was leaning against the wall with her fan propped beside her, keeping her eyes on Shikamaru. "For goodness sake Choza, sit down before you wear a hole in the floor," muttered Shikaku.

"I'd like to see you staying calm if Shikamaru was behind those doors," growled the Akimichi patriarch.

"Now, now you two, don't start fighting. I'm sure Chouji will be fine, the Nara clan medical libraries contain the best data on the Akimichi pills. With Kyuubi-sama and Tsunade-sama working together they surely found a cure to the pills," said Inoichi.

"Will the three of you just be quiet?" whispered Ino as she looked up from her hands, which were clutching Chouji's scarf. The three men grew silent, allowing Ino's thoughts to focus on Chouji again. 'Kami-sama, please let Tsunade-sama save him!' she thought. The light above the operating room door suddenly turned off and everyone looked up as the doors opened to reveal an exhausted Tsunade. The legendary medic nin was covered in sweat and breathing hard, indicating extensive use of medical jutsu.

"Tsunade-sama, is he?" stammered Chouza.

The blond haired kunoichi smiled and said, "He's fine, the antidote worked and his condition has stabilized. I'm sure his mother will be happy to get him back up to his former shape." As Ino slumped over into her father's arms in relief, Shizune ran into the waiting room.

"Tsunade-sama, Hyuuga Neji and Tamahashi Aki have both been stabilized. Sasuke actually woke up and is fine. Thanks to Haku-chan and Hinata-chan, everyone is alright," said the dark haired medic nin.

"Well Shikamaru, congratulations on leading your first successful mission," said Tsunade with a smirk at the lazy Chunnin. "I'm off to go make sure Lee hasn't permanently ended his ninja career," said the legendary medic as she walked away.

Shikamaru's body relaxed as he let all the fear and tension he'd been bottling up fade away. "The next one will definitely be a success too," said the shadow user before he got up and walked away. As soon as he was around the corner from everyone's view, tears of relief poured out of his eyes. 'Thank you Kami-sama,' he thought before wiping his eyes and turning to see Temari smirking at him.

"What's the matter you big cry baby?" she asked.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand it, but I'll try to explain it to you," muttered Shikamaru. "Here in Konoha we all value one another. If one of my friends had died because of my decision I would never forgive myself. Shinobi aren't supposed to have any emotions or form bonds, but here in Konoha we know that those emotions and bonds are our strengths and we fight to protect them, even laying down our lives to do so. Naruto believes in that, and that's why he'll be Hokage someday, the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen!"

Temari stared at Shikamaru for a moment, Gaara's behavior since his fight with the blond running through her head. Now his sand leapt to defend Kankuro and her just as quickly as it defended the red head, he crushed those who threatened them, and when Temari had been taken hostage by a missing nin from Hidden Cloud who managed to electrocute her fan to make her drop it, Gaara had summoned Shukaku for the first time to rip the man apart. When she asked him why he did that, he had stared at her before replying, "You're my sister, one of my precious people. I won't let you die."

"Yeah, that blondie will probably become Hokage some day. But you need to get a hold of yourself, you're acting like a wimp. If you don't keep your emotions under control you won't be able to lead a team the way you should," countered Temari.

"I don't need a troublesome woman telling me what to do," muttered Shikamaru. "If you think you're so smart, then let's play a game of shogi."

"Fine, just be prepared to go home crying to your mommy," retorted Temari.

"Mendokuse (Troublesome), follow me," muttered Shikamaru as he led Temari to his favorite shogi parlor.

(0o0o0)

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"If you two don't shut up I'm going to knock you out myself," growled Kurotsume as she stared at the two green clad fuzzy brows. The wolf woman had been furious that Lee left the hospital so suddenly, not to mention using the gates without training with her before hand. "Cub, that was a very stupid thing to do! I know you wanted to help your pack members, but if you had turned into a liability for them you would have done more harm than good!" Lee's ears and tail drooped as the wolf woman scolded him.

"Gomen nasai, I just wanted to help…" muttered Lee as he looked out the window.

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you used the Ura Renge (Extreme Renge). You were extremely lucky you are a hanyou now, otherwise you would have lost all hope of being a shinobi," said Tsunade as she looked up from examining Lee's body. "You can leave the hospital, but no training for a week and after that only with Gai and Kurotsume supervising."

"Yosh! The Lotus shall bloom once again!" yelled Lee as flames appeared in his eyes.

"Come on Gai, he needs his rest, and I think someone else wants to talk to visit Ehhh? O.o him," said Kurotsume as she led the spandex clad Jounin out of the room while Tsunade followed muttering about getting some sake. Tenten slipped in after they were gone, a small smile on her face.

"You feeling okay baka?" she asked.

"Of course, Tenten-chan, I feel great!" replied Lee.

"Good!" said Tenten with a large smile before a kunai was in her hand and resting at Lee's throat. "If you ever leave the hospital again without a doctor's permission for anything short of a life or death situation I'll use you for target practice!" she growled.

"I'm sorry Tenten-chan, but Haku-chan needed my help! I couldn't sit by and know that some of my comrades might be dying because I was not there to save them!" declared the wolf boy.

"I know Lee-kun, I know!" whispered Tenten before she hugged the wolf boy. "You've always been like a brother to me since we were both orphans. You protected me from the bullies before Gai-sensei adopted you and I was adopted by my parents. I don't want to see my brother dead!" Lee hugged Tenten back, gently patting her back to calm her down.

'Don't worry pup, he won't be dying anytime soon,' thought Kurotsume as her ears allowed her to listen to the conversation through the door. 'I'll be making him into a fierce fighter able to fulfill his dreams. It won't be easy, but Lee thrives on Hard Work.' Turning to Gai, the wolf woman smiled and said, "Well, shall we start planning Lee's training regime?" Gai's smile was all the answer she needed and the two proceeded to the spandex clad Jounin's house to devise the routine.

(0o0o0)

Naruto smiled as he sat down next to Hinata in the hotel waiting room. "Hey, feeling better?" he asked as he wrapped his arm and tails around Hinata.

"Now that you're here," replied Hinata. "I'm worn out, having to support Chouji and Neji-ni-san on the trip back to keep them stable took a lot out of me, even more than using the Zenyu Houyoku (Complete Healing Phoenix Wings) to heal you from that Chidori wound that demon gave you… all the adrenaline is leaving me now that I know that Neji-ni-san and everyone is going to be okay."

"Sorry to interrupt your dream, but everything won't be okay," said Naruto with a sigh. When Hinata looked at him in surprise, Naruto continued saying, "Orochimaru will just keep coming after Sasuke. The snake bastard won't just curl up and die no matter how hard we wish. We're going to have to take him out."

"Very good Naruto, I'm glad you've calmed down to stop and use your head to think now that Sasuke is back and aren't letting your instincts rule you," said a tired Kyuubi as she sank down in the couch opposite Naruto and Hinata. She was joined a minute later by Ken.

"Well, the Mizukage was very distressed by Orochimaru's actions and wants to throw their whole support behind us if it comes to war with Sound. They also want to meet Haku. But that can wait until tomorrow," said the older blond.

"But won't Mizukage-sama want to kill Haku-chan?" asked Hinata.

"No, Mizukage-san has promised that they won't try to harm any Konoha shinobi. That includes Haku-chan," replied Ken with a grin that said he knew something that he wouldn't tell.

"Yes, for now let's just rest, we've definitely earned it," said Kyuubi as she snuggled up to Ken. Tsunade entered the waiting room a few moments later to find the two couples sleeping happily. She smiled and pulled a blanket over each couple, letting them rest.

(0o0o0)

A distant crash and scream caused Naruto to sit up, jerking his tails and arm off Hinata. Kyuubi had also leapt to her feet alerting Naruto to the fact that his mother had heard the same thing he had. As Ken and Hinata scrambled to their feet, Naruto and Kyuubi took off towards a distant door. Kyuubi threw open the door to find Tayuya huddled in the corner of her room crying. "Momma, why did you leave me?" sobbed the red headed girl. Kyuubi was by Tayuya's side in an instant, her arms wrapping around the girl as she rubbed the girl's back.

"Shhhh, I'm here kitling. I'm sorry, I won't leave you alone again," murmured the fox woman as Tayuya's arms hugged her back. After a few moments, Tayuya's sobs faded and she got to her feet with Kyuubi's help.

"I'm sorry, the memories of my mother's death keep running through my head as well as what I did as Orochi-teme's pawn," said Tayuya.

"Do not worry Tayuya, the fact that you regret your actions shows you are good at heart. Kami-sama will not condemn you since you have turned back to the light," said Kyuubi. "I should know. I used to be a bloodthirsty demon until I got into a fight that was more than I could handle when I was a five tail. A little girl tended to me and nursed me back to health. That little girl opened my eyes to all the pain I had caused and I turned my back on my demonic tendencies. I took her in since she had no parents and she was my first kit. Now I take in other lost kits and give them a home. I offer you a new family with us, if you wish it Tayuya-chan…" Tayuya looked up at Kyuubi with wide eyes and the fox woman gently wiped away the tears in Tayuya's eyes.

"You should take her offer kiddo, she helped me when Orochi-teme abandoned me and fled Konoha," said a new voice at the door. Tayuya looked up to see Anko leaning against the door, a sad look on her face. "I'm probably the only person in this village who knows what you're going through in regards to Orochimaru. I was his apprentice before he abandoned Konoha. He tricked me into doing many horrible things and his last 'gift' to me was the same curse seal Sasuke bears, though mine is not the same as Sasuke since it has never activated thanks to my will power and it is an experimental version."

"Anko is right, Tayuya. It took her a year of living with my family before she could function on her own. We've made a reputation for taking in those that need help with a new start and giving them a home. Part of this is because Ken lost his entire family at a young age, the rest is due to that little girl I told you about," said Kyuubi.

"But I've done so much evil," whispered Tayuya.

"Trust me, I've probably done worse," said Anko as she sat down and wrapped her arm around Tayuya's shoulder. "I knowingly helped that bastard with his experiments because he told me all of them were traitors to Konoha. I believed him until Yondaime-sama started asking me about some disappearances. Then I realized that bastard was kidnapping civilians and innocent shinobi for his twisted ideals. I went to Sandaime-sama and told him everything before leading them to the labs. Orochimaru gave me the curse seal during the raid so Hokage-sama was forced to stop his pursuit and get me to Kyuubi-sama. Trust me when I say that they honestly want to help you."

"She's telling the truth, Tayuya. Konoha is known as one of the strongest villages because we watch out for one another," said Ken. "You'll have to spend a few weeks under observation by ANBU and spend a few days with Ibiki to make sure you're clean, then you'll be granted full citizenship in Konoha and if you want adoption into the Uzumaki family."

"Cool, another sister," said Naruto with a grin.

"You mean this little guy would be my brother?" asked Tayuya as she looked at Naruto for a moment. Next thing he knew he was in a headlock as Tayuya gave him a noogie. "Pleased to meet you, Otouto-chan!"

"Waaaaah! Let me go, ne-chan!" yelled Naruto as she struggled against Tayuya's grip, though he gave up when Anko joined in and both of them were clearly teasing him.

'I think Tayuya-chan will fit in here just fine,' thought Kyuubi with a smile as she glanced at Ken. A giggle alerted her to Hinata peeking in the door and watching her boyfriend fight to free himself from Anko and Tayuya. 'Yes, she definitely will.'

(0o0o0)

The next day found Naruto and Akemi the only younger members of the Uzumaki family at the breakfast table since Sasuke and Haku were being kept at the hospital overnight by Kyuubi and Tsunade. The two fox siblings ate their breakfast rapidly and ran off to the hospital to visit their siblings. They were delighted to find Sasuke and Haku awake and talking to one another. Luckily Tsunade said the two would be allowed to take a short walk around the hotel to see how their friends were doing. Everyone was happy to see Sasuke was okay and delighted to learn the curse seal was gone. The foursome had just left Kiba's room and found Anko about to enter the room next door. "Ohayo Anko-san, are you here to visit Nee-chan?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, the poor girl had it really rough, from what she's told me I'm not sure which of us had a worse time under Orochimaru," said the special Jounin with a sigh.

"Who are you talking about?" asked Sasuke curiously.

"Oka-san decided to take in another stray, we're getting a new big sister," said Naruto as Anko opened the door.

The first thing everyone heard when the door opened was, "God damnit, they call this slop food? I've seen more appetizing ration bars!" Tayuya looked up from the bowl of gruel she had been staring at for the past ten minutes to see her prospective family members, as well as two faces that made her good mood from the previous day plummet.

"Oka-san wants to adopt her?" yelled Haku while staring at the former Sound Kunoichi. Tayuya's eyes had developed a look of fear and she seemed to be trying to subtly hide herself under the thin blanket.

"She's one of Orochimaru's elites! How can we trust her?" demanded Sasuke.

Both of them would have added other things if Anko hadn't bopped them on the head. "Knock it off you two. Like me, she was manipulated by Orochimaru. He killed her mother and made her think Konoha did it. She's genuinely sorry for her actions," said the purple haired woman.

"Yeah, when she first woke up here she was crying about how they forced your curse seal to activate and break Oka-san's seal!" declared Naruto.

Sasuke still seemed distrustful, but he sighed and said, "Fine, I'll give her a chance. After all, I know what it's like to lose your family."

"Thank you," whispered Tayuya, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry Tayuya-nee-chan!" yelled Akemi as she pressed a tissue into the older redhead's hands.

"Sorry, it's just that everyone here is so kind, especially after what I did," said Tayuya as she dried her eyes. Kyuubi smiled from the door way as she watched the group start to talk. Tayuya was soon laughing at Naruto's jokes and she in turn told them about life in Hidden Cloud, as well as a few of Orochimaru's more embarrassing moments she witnessed. "You should have seen him when he staggered out of his lab! He was covered in green slime and walking like something was stuck up his ass! That was the last time he tried to summon a fiend himself and in his hideouts!" said Tayuya before dissolving into laughter. All the younger shinobi and Anko started laughing as well at the thought of Orochimaru being the victim of a tentacle fiend.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this wonderful moment, Sasuke and Haku-chan need to lie down again," said Kyuubi as she made her presence known. Sasuke glanced around and saw the two spare beds in the room, one of which he instantly claimed.

"I think we'll stay here for now Okaa-san," he said. Haku followed his lead and Kyuubi smiled.

"Okay, I'm glad all my kits are getting along," she said before leaving with Anko, who had to get to her mission for the day.

The rest of the day passed without much happening. Hinata eventually tracked down Naruto and joined the group, prompting Tayuya to tease Naruto about his girlfriend. Naruto countered that he would happily hook Tayuya up with a boyfriend if she couldn't find one in six months. Tayuya went quiet at that point; though she still smiled as she watched the younger group interact with one another. The sound their laughter eventually drew in Kiba, Shino, Tenten, and Lee as they wandered the halls checking up on their friends. The newcomers were a little wary of Tayuya, though they started to grow more comfortable with her as time went on. Team ten arrived with Chouji in a wheelchair and looking much thinner than he should, but still cheerful and glad to see his friends were alright, and the whole group started talking and telling each other about their individual battles against Orochimaru's elites. Kyuubi kept checking in on the gathering, eventually bringing them lunch and leaving them to talk.

(0o0o0)

The next few weeks passed quickly for everyone. Once Chouji, Sasuke, Haku, Neji, and Aki had been released from the hospital by Kyuubi and Tsunade, there was a huge party at the Uzumaki house to celebrate Sasuke's rescue. The Konoha Fifteen, as the rookie nine, Team Gai, and Team Kunoichi had come to be known, were all together and partying hard. The sand siblings were also invited and had broken up to speak with the friends they had made. Temari was currently playing a game of Shogi with Shikamaru, while Gaara was quietly talking with Kudora with a chibi Shukaku perched on his head. The sand tanuki was enjoying being in a body of his own, even if it looked more like a cute plushy than his normal body. Kudora had apparently become quite taken with the quiet red head, who was showering praise on her for saving his life from Kimimaro. Tayuya watched all this from the privacy of a tree branch, not feeling she belonged in the center of such happiness. She felt particularly uncomfortable around Shikamaru and Temari, neither of whom seemed to relax when she was around. "Just a few weeks ago I would have been happy to see this all destroyed," muttered Tayuya.

"I think you're being a little hard on yourself," said an unfamiliar voice. Tayuya looked over to a nearby tree where she was surprised to see Kankuro sitting on a limb with a simple guitar in his hands. "Our village attacked Konoha and they still accepted us as allies. Heck, Gaara tried to kill Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, but there they are talking to him like they've been friends forever."

"Compared to other villages, Konoha is too trusting," said Tayuya.

"Maybe, but they're also one of the strongest villages. They have the queen of the kitsune on their side and the Yellow Flash to lead them, plus the Sannin," countered Kankuro as he lightly strummed a few cords on his guitar.

"You're not the type of person I would expect to be playing such an instrument," said Tayuya.

"A puppeteer must always keep his fingers nimble, making the guitar a favorite hobby of puppet users in Suna. According to my sister, you play the flute," replied Kankuro.

Tayuya nodded and pulled out her spare flute. This one was not made for controlling her summoned ogres, but for playing. Orochimaru had sent her on several missions to eliminate key political figures while posing as an entertainer and she mainly used this flute for those missions. It had a sweeter sound than her normal flute and she often played this one to soothe her mind. She brought it to her lips now and a sweet melody came forth. Kankuro responded with a gentle scale that sounded like rain fall. The two started harmonizing and a beautiful melody was born. The melody drifted out of the forest and to the party, where everyone fell silent as they listened to it. Tayuya and Kankuro kept on playing, not aware of their audience, absorbed in the music they were creating.

Naruto wrapped his tails around Hinata as he pulled her into his lap, lightly nuzzling her cheek with his own as he held her tight. Ken and Kyuubi seemed to be in their own little world, staring into each other's eyes while ignoring the world around them. Neji and Aki were simply snuggling since both of them still felt a little sore in their sides, while Akemi and Kiba were lying on the grass looking up at the stars. Kakashi and Rin were sitting on the roof thinking about Obito and wishing he was there with them. Gai and Kurotsume were also on the roof, but they were involved in a serious make-out session. When the song ended there was a moment of silence before everyone began clapping, alerting the two that they had an audience. Kankuro and Tayuya were both blushing, though it was hard to tell for Kankuro since his face was covered in make up, as they were dragged to the center of the party and asked to play more songs. It was not to surprising to everyone that when the duo chose a faster paced song that Naruto swept up Hinata and they started dancing. Kyuubi and Ken soon joined the duo, with claps and cheers from the other spectators. Laughter echoed through the air, causing many people to smile as they caught bits of the music and laughter floating through the air.

(0o0o0)

The next day was much more serious. Tsunade summoned all of the Konoha Fifteen to her office. "Listen up everyone; we have a problem on our hands. By now Orochimaru will have figured out we got Sasuke back and since Kyuubi destroyed the remnants of his curse seal this morning he knows he has no way of influencing Sasuke any more. This means he will probably be preparing to attack soon. Therefore, we will be making the first strike and taking the war to Sound. Konoha is still recovering from the disaster during the Chunnin Exams, so we're going to make sure the fighting doesn't happen here. However, as strong as you all are, you are not ready for war yet. Therefore I am putting all your teams on standby status for missions and ordering you to train for the next three months. Haku, Hinata, you two will be reporting to Kyuubi-san each day for medical nin training. Your Jounin Sensei will be explaining the rest of the training to all of you, so meet them at the memorial stone." The teens nodded and headed towards the stone, where they found Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Rin, Ken, and Kurotsume.

"Alright everyone, we're going to be starting you on some very advanced training. Normally this would wait until you had more experience as Chunnin, but current events have forced out hand," said Kakashi, for once not reading his book, though a small pile of paper scraps near Rin's feet with bits of orange plastic showed he had brought a book with him.

"As you should know, there are five basic types of chakra used for jutsu. Fire, wind, water, lightning, and earth. These five elements are the foundation of all jutsu and the reason the five great countries are named as they are," said Rin. "Most people's chakra naturally lean towards a certain nature. Sasuke, your clan was full of people with an affinity for fire, thus your clan's exceptional skill with fire jutsu. I'm a natural wind user, as is Asuma. Kakashi is a lightning type, hence his sole original jutsu Raikiri (Lightning Blade)."

"We already have an idea what some of your elements are," said Ken with a glance at Sasuke, Haku, and Akemi, "But the rest of you are zeros, or unknowns. Therefore," Ken pulled a piece of paper out of his supply pouch, "We're going to check with these cards." Kakashi took the piece of paper and glanced at it for a moment before it suddenly crumpled up. "These cards are made from a unique paper that reacts to the slightest amount of chakra. They're made from trees that are fed and nurtured with chakra for a long time. Channel some of your chakra into them like Kakashi did and we'll know your nature immediately."

"If you're lightning natured, the paper crumples like it did for Kakashi," explained Kurenai, "Wind natured chakra cuts the paper in half, fire burns it, water makes it get wet, and earth turns it to dust. All of you will get your chakra tested and go with the sensei who can use that type of chakra. I'm a water type while Gai is an earth type, even though we don't often use ninjutsu, we can still train you on how to manipulate your chakra nature."

All of the teens eagerly accepted a card from their sensei before focusing chakra into them. Haku's paper instantly got wet before freezing completely, Akemi and Sasuke both dropped their papers as they burst into flame, Neji's crumpled, Lee and Chouji were left with handfuls of dust, Hinata's became soaked, and Naruto and Kiba found theirs cut in half. "Alright, those of you whose paper did not react will be tested using Kyuubi's method," said Ken as the kitsune woman walked into the clearing.

"The reason your papers did not react is because you are more suited towards some of the harder to master elements that are normally only used by youkai or those with kekkei genkai (Bloodline Ability). Therefore we'll be using the kitsune system of testing you to find your chakra nature," said Kyuubi as she started forming hand seals before slamming her hands into the ground with a yell of, "Kitsune Hijutsu: Tenshi Shikendankai (Fox Secret Art: Natural Elements Testing Stage)!" A rumbling was felt as the ground started to shake and the area farthest from the memorial stone erupted in a large golden platform with two giant kitsune statues on it. The platform had eight circles arranged in a larger circle on it with each circle holding an elemental symbol. Resting between the two kitsune statues was the symbol for fire. Clockwise from fire were lightning, wind, ice, water, wood, earth, and metal. In the exact center of the platform was another circle large enough for a person to stand in. Surrounding it were four pictures, the sun, the moon, a body, and a head. "This is what we use to test a kitsune's natural element, but it can be used by anyone for the same purpose. I want everyone whose paper did not react to stand in the center circle, as well as Lee, Akemi, Haku, and Naruto. The four of you can probably use more than one element, so we're going to make sure. The symbol of your elemental nature will glow when you gather your chakra, telling us what your element is. Ino, you go first."

Ino stepped onto the platform and stood in the center circle before gathering her chakra. The symbol for wood instantly started glowing, as well as the picture of the head. "Plant and mental… I was expecting the mental part but the plant surprises me," said Kyuubi as she wrote down Ino's results. "Your mother comes from Grass Country, doesn't she? Then she'll teach you the plant jutsu while your father takes care of the mental aspect. Shino?" The Aburame user stepped onto the stage and the body symbol glowed for him as well as a faint glow from the earth symbol. "Kekkei genkai, clan training," said Kyuubi, "And since your bugs eat most of your chakra, the paper could not react to you. You'll have to learn to set some of your chakra aside for other techniques and learn some Doton techniques with Chouji and Lee. Shikamaru." The moon and head symbols. "Shadow and mental. Sakura" Head and sun. "Mental and medical, another student for me, Aki." Moon and metal. "Shadow and metal, you'll be forging weapons as well as learning more jutsu related to them, I have a friend who can help you with that as well as Tenten's parents while you'll train with Shikamaru's family in their jutsu. Tenten." Metal. "Weapons and metal techniques, not to surprising, same training as Aki minus the Nara training."

Kyuubi finished writing down the results and turned to Akemi, Lee, Haku, and Naruto. "Now, the four of you probably have another element, so let's test them out. Lee first." The earth and body symbols glowed brightly. "You are just learning to use chakra, so we'll have to test you in a few months, for now stick to training with Kurotsume and Gai. Akemi!" Fire, sun, and metal. "Some healing training, kitsune arts, and weapons for you dear. Haku!" Water, wind, ice, and sun. "As expected, Hyoton (Ice Style) training and medical. Naruto!" Naruto's results surprised everyone. All of the outer elements lit up as well as the body symbol. "Nine tail potential, very impressive. Now just channel your chakra, not your youki," said Kyuubi. Naruto did as instructed and the fire, wind, and body symbols glowed brightly. "Very good. All of you have the rest of the day off, you will receive a scroll telling you where and when to meet your new sensei this evening." All of the teens nodded and ran off, talking about their elements excitedly.

"Are you sure they're ready for this?" asked Asuma.

"Yes, they're all strong and need the experience. Even if they can't master nature manipulation, the training will build their reserves quickly and increase their control," said Kyuubi.

"These next few months will be interesting," said Gai with a smile and the good guy pose.

**And that's it. I was just inspired to write a lot for this chapter, I hope you guys like it. If you think some of the elements were off, please inform me and explain your reasoning. If you can convince me, I might change them.**


	24. Tail 23: Training

**Roar of the Dragon: This chapter was hard to write. I had no reference and had to make everything up. In other news, I'm sorry to say the story is almost over. I'm not sure how many more chapters are left, but at max five. Then we can start the sequel, Hanyou Trials.**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

_**Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle!**_

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

**_Fic promotion: Ryuuhoshi by Tsunami227. It's pretty good, I suggest you guys give it a read and leave a review_**!

Tayuya woke up to a sensation that was quickly becoming common, a warm bed and the sound of a happy family. She had been released from the hospital a few days ago and moved into the Uzumaki house. She was already comfortable with the entire family, though she could still detect ANBU watching her every move. Still, her life had improved a lot from her time in Hidden Sound, almost resembling her life with her mother before Orochimaru killed her. The red head shook her head to dispel those thoughts and climbed out of her bed. She chuckled as she remembered Naruto's reaction to running into her in the hall her first morning here. Tayuya was not yet used to the warm nights and slept mainly in a sports bra and panties, so the fox boy got a huge eyeful of his older sister. Tayuya didn't blame him at all, in fact she thought it was pretty cute how his face turned as red as a tomato before he spun around and ran right into a wall as he tried to escape the beating he thought he was going to get. Tayuya had been embarrassed when Haku and Kyuubi appeared to check what the noise was about. Kyuubi had immediately swept Tayuya back into her room and given her a small lecture on proper clothing around the house. She had then given Tayuya a robe that now hung on her door so she would never wander around the house like that again with a smile.

Tayuya's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Quickly grabbing her robe and putting it on, she opened the door to find Akemi smiling up at her. "Ohayo Tayuya-nee-chan! It's time for breakfast!" said the kitsune girl.

"Thanks Akemi-chan," said Tayuya as she ruffled the smaller red head's hair and let Akemi lead her to the dining room. She smiled as she saw a sleepy looking Naruto watching Ken make waffles while Sasuke and Haku were both just walking in from a morning run. Kyuubi smiled as she placed cups of orange juice on the table for everyone, happy to have her whole family at the table.

"Now don't forget you're starting your elemental training today," said the kitsune woman as she set the last glass of juice on the table with a pitcher for refills.

"That's right, I'm going to be learning to use Fuuton techniques!" cheered Naruto.

"Wind element? I use that type myself," said Tayuya. "Mind if I tag along to see if I can give you some pointers?"

"Sure, if Rin-sensei and Asuma-sensei don't mind," replied Naruto.

"By the way, you never told me who I would be joining Akemi with for training in Katon jutsu," said Sasuke.

"You'll be working with Kakashi on your Sharingan first, then I'll give you some technique scrolls to study with Naruto and Akemi in the evening," said Kyuubi. "All three of you have a good grasp on manipulating your chakra to fire for now, we'll work on refining it once you get used to your other elements." Sasuke, Naruto, and Akemi all nodded before eagerly attacking the plate of waffles Ken placed on the table.

(0o0o0)

Tayuya smiled as she followed Naruto towards the training ground Asuma and Rin had told him to meet them at with Kiba. The dog boy was bounding ahead with Akamaru, both of them fully recovered from their battle and eager to begin training. Tayuya was currently dressed in a simple yukata Kyuubi had given her. The bright purple made her stand out in a crowd and Tayuya understood it was so her ANBU watchers wouldn't have to be as close to her to track her. She appreciated her new mother's idea, since it kept her from feeling like eyes were on her all the time and allowed her to relax. She could tell where the watchers where though by how Naruto's ears swiveled around constantly though where she could only hear a whisper of movement. "So Naruto, do you know any Fuuton jutsu already?" asked Tayuya.

"Nah, I mostly use my fox fire, Kenjutsu, and taijutsu in battle, plus Otou-san's ninjutsu. I've made some of my own techniques, but only one is an elemental jutsu," replied the fox boy.

"Well, after I'm allowed to become a Konoha kunoichi, I'll help you in any way I can in using your wind chakra," said Tayuya.

"Oi, will the two of you stop wasting time?" yelled Kiba as he paused in his leaping from tree to tree and looked back at Tayuya and Naruto.

"Shut the (beep) up Gaki, before I beat the (beep) out of you!" snarled Tayuya.

"Don't waste your breath on him Nee-chan, he's just a mutt," said Naruto.

"You're one to talk fox, remember that dogs are man's best friend and foxes are our prey!" barked Kiba as he landed in front of Naruto on all fours. When Naruto also dropped to all fours and growled at Kiba, Tayuya was reminded even more of dogs and foxes. Akamaru and Gishou, who had been walking by Tayuya's side, both rolled their eyes at their friends' actions.

Tayuya stepped up to the two animal boys and solved their possible fight by bopping them both on the head before grabbing the backs of their jackets and dragging them towards the training ground. Despite both boys' struggles to get free, Tayuya had been a Hidden Sound Chunnin for a long time and was used to dealing with her comrades. She was perfectly capable of dragging both boys along without any trouble while Gishou and Akamaru rode on her shoulders.

Tayuya dragged Kiba and Naruto into the training ground to find Asuma sparring with Rin. The chain smoker had his trench knives out and was blocking Rin's bokken with them, both Jounin apparently at a stalemate. Both stopped their sparring as Tayuya entered the clearing and started to laugh at the expressions on Kiba and Naruto's faces as they struggled to get free. "Thank you for bringing them Tayuya, Ken-sensei sent word you would be joining us and I hope you can help our students with their training," said Rin with a slight smile for the red head.

Tayuya bowed and released Naruto and Kiba, who both threw her a glare before turning their attention to their teachers. "Now that you're both here, we'll cover the basics of wind chakra manipulation," said Asuma. "Wind chakra has the ability to cut and sever anything, making it perfect for battles. Rin has much better control over her wind chakra than I do, but I use mine in a different way. We'll be teaching you how to change from raw chakra to wind chakra, then whichever of our methods works best for you."

"We'll start with a simple exercise," said Rin as she picked up a leaf. The wind sorceress held up the leaf and it was suddenly sliced in half. "I want both of you to place a leaf between your palms and concentrate on slicing it in half with only your chakra. Oh yes, before I forget, Naruto come here!" Naruto walked up to Rin, only to have her slap an ofuda on his chest. "This exercise will be much easier if you're only using chakra and not youki. My mother taught me the same way and it will save you lots of time. The ofuda will prevent your youki from leaving your body, so just concentrate on using your chakra."

Naruto and Kiba both grabbed a leaf and placed it between their palms before starting to concentrate. Tayuya pulled out her flute and started playing a simple tune to keep everyone entertained while Akamaru and Gishou curled up beside her for a nap in the shade.

(0o0o0)

Kurenai smiled as she watched Haku teach Hinata some of the finer tricks of manipulating water. Since the hanyou girl had more knowledge of Suiton jutsu than Kurenai, the Jounin was happy to defer to the Chunnin in this respect and only offered her input when she was asked. Since Hinata had been learning some Suiton jutsu for a long time to put out fires caused by Naruto's fox fire and Sasuke's Katon jutsu, she had needed very little coaching in converting her chakra to water. Now Haku was having her dance on the water and attempt to perform Kaiten with the water. Hinata was enjoying herself, even though she was exhausted. She was learning something new and enjoying herself. "Come on Hinata-chan! Once more!" cheered Haku.

"Hai!" gasped Hinata. Gathering her chakra, the Hyuuga girl focused the chakra into the water before she performed the Kaiten, creating a spinning dome of water around her. "I did it!" cheered Hinata as she stopped spinning, only to fall backwards into Haku's arms from chakra exhaustion.

"Congratulations Hinata, you're ready to start mastering the big moves now!" said Haku with smile.

(0o0o0)

Neji's eye twitched as he waited in the clearing for Kakashi and Sasuke to arrive.

(0o0o0)

"Yosh, I shall now begin instructing you in the manipulation of earth chakra!" yelled Gai as he gave Lee, Shino, and Chouji a blinding smile. "Earth type chakra is raw, primal, and full of energy once you awaken it, reflecting the power of nature and our planet. We shall start simple. I want you all to crush these stones with your chakra!" The three boys took the stones Gai gave them and started to concentrate. Lee had spent the last few weeks training with Gai to use his chakra and eagerly attempted this new exercise. All three knew they could crush the rock with either brute strength or in Shino's case his bugs, but using chakra alone and not squeezing was going to be hard.

(0o0o0)

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?" screamed Neji to the trees as it had been two hours and Kakashi and Sasuke still hadn't shown up.

(0o0o0)

"Ah, you're here," said Tenten's mother as she looked up to see Tenten leading Akemi and Aki into the forge at the back of her parents' ninja supply shop. Tenten's parents specialized in custom weapons, sealing scrolls, and some of the more exotic tools of the ninja trade as opposed to the Tamahashi shop which specialized in the basics most Genin and Chuunin would need. "Today I'm going to teach you the basics of working with metal. There isn't really a Kinzokuton (Metal Style) of jutsu, but there is an understanding of how to make weapons and using seals enhance them with elemental properties." As she said this, the woman pulled a katana from the rack behind her and all three girls gasped as lightning flared around the blade. "This katana was enhanced with the lightning element. I'll be teaching you how to do this and make all sorts of weapons. We'll start with kunai, then katana and other weapons. Now follow me into the forge." The three girls followed Mrs. Tankou (Metal worker, lame I know) towards the back of the forge, where three seats were set up before a large black board that was, according to Tenten, used to write down details about items being forged. "Tenten, you've already learned the basics of forging, but only enough to make your own kunai and shuriken. First of all, I'm going to instruct you on the seals we'll be using and how to implement them in the metal," said Mrs. Tankou.

(0o0o0)

"I see you've never listened to Hinata talking about Kakashi-sensei and his habits," said Sasuke as he entered the training ground to find Neji beating on a training dummy with a caricature of Kakashi's face on it.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" yelled Neji as he grabbed the younger boy and lifted him into the air.

"Kakashi is always three hours late, so we always show up two and a half hours after he tells us to meet when Rin-sensei is away on missions. I thought Hinata had told you or I would have told you myself, sorry," said Sasuke. Neji set Sasuke down before returning to pummeling the training dummy. Sure enough, half an hour later, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hello you two, sorry I'm late, I had to help a group of midgets find their clown car…" said Kakashi as he looked up from his book only to find himself staring into a pair of angry Byakugan eyes.

"Gai-sensei may drive me crazy, but at least he's never late!" roared Neji as he lunged forward at speeds faster than Kakashi had thought possible after having suffered his level of wounds from Kidoumaru. The masked Jounin frantically weaved between each attack as Neji yelled, "Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty two palms! Sixty four palms! One hundred twenty eight palms! Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō (Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms)!" Neji's last attack was so quick and unexpected Kakashi had dropped his guard and felt himself get hit one hundred and twenty eight times.

"Feel better? You just knocked out our sensei for at least half an hour," asked Sasuke.

"He deserves it for being so late, we only have three months to train and every moment counts!" snorted Neji.

"Fine, I'll tell you the basis of lightning nature chakra. Lightning nature chakra is very tricky to use without excellent chakra control because it is generated by using the body's own electric current. According to Kakashi-sensei, this is one of the reasons Kumogakure no Sato (Village Hidden Among Clouds) tried to kidnap Hinata. They wanted the Byakugan to enable them to be able to observe their chakra and bio electric current mixing. Now, Kakashi hasn't taught me many Raiton jutsu, but I think I can teach you the basics if you watch me perform Chidori with your Byakugan," said Sasuke.

Neji nodded and quickly activated his clan's Doujutsu. Once he saw Neji was ready, Sasuke formed the hand seals for the Chidori before grabbing his right arm as he activated the technique. Neji watched Sasuke's chakra system carefully, trying to see how the chakra moved to form the technique. After a few tries, Neji managed to get a small spark to jump from his finger to the ground. With a grin worthy of Naruto, the Hyuuga genius crept up to Kakashi and manipulated his chakra, causing the small spark to jump from his finger to hit Kakashi's bottom. The masked Jounin somehow managed to leap high into the air even though he was face down on the ground and came down holding his rear with a look of shock clearly visible on his face. He was greeted with the sight of two Geniuses laughing their asses off at his expense.

(0o0o0)

Ino smiled at her mother as the green haired woman led Ino into the forest. Ino rarely got to spend free time with her mother since she was the one who ran the family flower shop with Ino's help and constantly seeing one another as they worked had led to the two of them spending their free time apart. Ino had been thrilled when her mother wanted to train her after the Chuunin exams and eagerly agreed. "Oka-san, why are we coming all the way out here? Couldn't you just train me in the back of the store like you did before?" asked Ino.

Yamanaka Ayaka (Colorful Flower) glanced back at her daughter with a smile before saying, "We're going to be learning jutsu that people in Konoha would not like seeing used carelessly. You remember from the Academy that the Shodaime Hokage originally came from Kusa no Kuni (Land of Grass), just as I do, right?" When she saw Ino nod, Ayaka continued her explanation. "He was famous for his use of Mokuton jutsu, but what people aren't aware of is that he had relatives that stayed in Kusagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Grass) when he left. I am descended from those people and thus able to use the Mokuton jutsu, as are you. I want to keep this training secret for now, only Hokage-sama, Kyuubi-sama, your father, and the ANBU captains know of this ability." Ino's eyes widened at her mother's explanation and quickly hugged the woman with happiness.

"Thank you for trusting me so much Oka-san! I promise I won't disappoint you!" declared Ino.

"I know you won't, dear! Now, the first lesson is communicating with the Mokusei, the spirit of a tree, so you can use existing trees and manipulate them with the spirit's help. Now remember that any tree that is still alive has a spirit. Some times they even leave their tree to dance in the deep forest, leading to the myths of dryads and nymphs. They are very friendly but protective of their trees, so treat all trees with respect." Ino nodded as her mother adopted a lecturing tone. Ayaka led Ino to a large tree in the middle of a forest clearing. This tree was clearly one of the oldest ones in the forest, big enough that it would take five grown men to encircle it with their arms. "The Mokusei of this tree is one of my friends," said Ayaka as she rested her hand against the ancient tree's trunk. "Place your hand on the trunk and say hello to her."

Ino did as her mother instructed before saying, "Hello Mokusei-sama!"

Ino was startled as a joy-filled laugh echoed through her head and she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a hug. "Ayaka-chan, she's so cute!" said a woman's voice from behind the blond. Ino turned to see a woman with light green skin and brown hair smiling at her. The woman was dressed in what appeared to be an outfit made of leaves, bark, and vines. "I remember when you brought her to see me after she was born, but I didn't think she would grow up to be so beautiful!" Ino blushed slightly at the praise.

"Ino, meet Miki (Beauty Tree). You might remember her from just after you were born, I brought you to meet her after I could leave the hospital," said Ayaka. Ino was barely able to remember a woman's smiling face looking down on her as Ayaka held her, but nodded.

"Good, now you can meet my daughters. Come out girls!" exclaimed Miki. Almost instantly, the clearing was full of girls who were clearly younger versions of Miki, only with different hair colors. All of the girls appeared to be named after different types of trees and Ino soon found herself talking and laughing with them like they were her sisters. Then Ayaka had her daughter start running through her paces with the vine whip, having the blond girl try to tag the agile tree spirits.

(0o0o0)

Sakura looked at the large number of medical scrolls she had to read before she could even begin to practice medical ninjutsu and swallowed nervously. "I'm so glad I have a photographic memory for anything I read," she muttered before grabbing a scroll at random and starting to read.

(0o0o0)

Naruto staggered into the Uzumaki house tired but happy. After Asuma had given Kiba and him the hint to envision their chakra as two sharp planes and angle them together to cut the leaf, both boys had gotten the exerciser quickly. Naruto had then practiced doing the same thing around Nenshousaiga, giving his sword a longer range and making its blade even more deadly. Kiba however, had come up with a much more useful version of the technique by using it to increase the reach of his claws. Naruto soon figured out the trick and both boys sent to work seeing who could shred through a tree the fastest. Akamaru and Gishou had settled for practicing with taking down larger opponents with Asuma and managed to bring the Jounin down with a series of head butts and attempted hamstringing maneuvers. Naruto was eager to show off his new trick to his family, which is why he was slightly disappointed to find his mother was the only one home at the time. "Hello Naruto, learn anything interesting so far?" asked Kyuubi as she prepared to slice some vegetables for a stir fry dinner.

"Yeah, Kiba figured out this neat trick we could both use!" declared Naruto.

"Oh? Can you show me?" asked Kyuubi as she put down her knife and wiped her hands clean before focusing on her son.

"Sure! Watch this!" With that, Naruto concentrated and his claws were covered in blue chakra blades. He quickly slashed at the closest vegetable, a large radish, and left it in five large chunks.

"Interesting, but you still have much to learn young one," said Kyuubi with a smile as she picked up several carrots, another radish, and a head of broccoli. The fox woman flipped the vegetables into the air before her arms blurred. Naruto could only watch in amazement as his mother's claws sliced all the vegetables before she grabbed a bowl with a tail to catch them as she brought her hands back to her sides and let the sliced vegetables fall into the bowl. "When you can fillet a fish in midair, you will have mastered that skill." Naruto nodded and picked up a spare knife to start helping his mother cook. They were soon joined by Akemi and Tayuya. The two red heads seemed to get along really well and already acted like sisters after knowing one another for such a short amount of time. While Akemi was not the best cook around, she could cook simple dishes very well. Tayuya on the other hand... was chaos incarnate in the kitchen. Unfortunately, this was her first time cooking with her new family and they found this out the hard way. Kyuubi quickly figured out that Tayuya could not be trusted with knives, spices, or mixing of things she was not instructed to. Kyuubi soon had Tayuya mixing the prepared ingredients for fried rice, one of the few things Tayuya had learned how to cook from her own mother and could make perfectly. Haku and Ken soon entered the house and the kitchen was filled with laughter and the sounds of eating as the family sat down for dinner.

(0o0o0)

The next day was the start of the secondary element training for everyone but Neji, Tenten, and Kiba. Those three worked with their parents to further their bloodline or family taught skills, while everyone else reported for their training.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi smiled as she found Sakura, Hinata, Akemi, and Haku waiting for her outside the hospital. "I'm glad you're all here. Sakura, did you finish all the scrolls I assigned for you to read?" When the pink haired girl nodded, Kyuubi led the way into the hospital. "We'll start you off with basic training. You'll have to take a written exam first, then you'll start assisting doctors and acting as junior nurses. This will give you the basic knowledge for healing and more experience in taking care of patients." All four girls followed Kyuubi into the hospital where they took the test before changing into scrubs and visiting the children's ward. The girls were an instant hit with the young patients, especially Akemi with her fluffy tails and ears. Akemi sealed the deal by assuming her true form and giving the children who could leave their beds or didn't need machines to keep them alive rides on her back while Haku amused those who couldn't go on the rides with her water manipulation and making ice sculptures for them. At noon, Sakura left for her mental training with Ino and Shikamaru while Akemi joined Naruto and Sasuke for Katon practice outside the Uzumaki house. This left Kyuubi to begin instructing Haku and Hinata in the combat aspect of medical ninjutsu. Both girls were well versed with using Chakra Enjintou (Chakra Scalpel) to inflict damage, so Kyuubi started teaching them about pressure points, which Haku was already fairly skilled in. It was easy for her to use senbon to mark all the pressure points on a training dummy for Hinata to see. The Hyuuga girl was soon able to cause paralysis in a limb with a pressure point strike, easily mastering aiming at such a small target due to her family's taijutsu style.

(0o0o0)

When Sakura reached the Nara house for the mental training, she found Ino reading a scroll while propping her feet on Shikamaru's shoulders as he gazed up at the clouds. They were soon joined by Aki, who was going to be starting her training in the Nara techniques. The shadow mistress could still be seen to have a bit of sadness in her eyes over her former mother's actions and behavior, but living with the Hyuuga family had healed many wounds. The training started out with Aki and Shikamaru using Kagemane (Shadow Imitation) and Kage Gyokaku (Shadow Catch) to move human sized puppet pieces around a large field that had been landscaped to resemble a Shougi field behind the Nara house with Shikamaru's father supervising them. Sakura and Ino were having a slightly different training from Ino's father as he had his daughter enter Sakura's mind. Due to Sakura's inner self, Ino had a hard time entering the pink haired girl's mind and taking control, so both of them benefited from the exercise. Ino grew more used to breaking through mental resistance while Inner Sakura learned how to defeat mental intrusions.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke released a Great Fireball and watched as it smashed into a giant fox fire ball Naruto sent his way in retaliation. The Uchiha boy then rolled to his right to avoid a barrage of small fireballs from Akemi. Naruto charged forward, firing off a series of blazing punches and kicks that Sasuke frantically dodged. When Akemi lunged towards Naruto with a handful of fox fire, Sasuke leapt back to give himself some room before unleashing a new attack he'd been working on. Darting forward, he kicked the two fox siblings apart before lunging forward to kick Naruto into the air. A quick leap into the air allowed Sasuke to punch Naruto back down before he used Katon: Gōkakyū (Fire Style: Great Fireball) no Jutsu to finish off the combo with a yell of "Musō Gōendan 2 (Striking Wild Flare 2)!" The fireball slammed Naruto deep into the ground and the fox boy was very thankful for the fact that his mother had told him his new jacket was made from fire rat fur and could withstand the flames of Sasuke's attack and keep him from being burned.

"Whoa, when did you come up with that?" asked Akemi as Sasuke landed and Naruto waved a hand to show he just needed a rest before he was ready to continue sparring.

"Just a few days ago, it's a variant on a chain of Taijutsu attacks I thought up called Musō Gōendan 1 (Striking Wild Flare 1), the original just has taijutsu attacks and this version uses a ninjutsu attack to finish it off," explained Sasuke.

Naruto meanwhile had pulled himself out of the crater caused by the conclusion of the attack and was dusting himself off. "Awesome combo Sasuke, about time you made your own attack instead of ripping off Lee!" he declared.

"Hey, you ripped me and him off with your Uzumaki Naruto Rendan!" countered Sasuke.

"Yeah, but I use clones to propel my enemy into the air, not that same kick you and Lee use!" yelled Naruto as he got right in Sasuke's face. Both boys started to reach up to grab one another, only to be stopped by the most unlikely of people.

"Will you two shut up?" roared Akemi as she slammed a fist into each of her brothers' heads. Naruto and Sasuke collapsed to the ground unconscious, causing a sweat drop to form on Akemi's head. "I didn't mean to hit them that hard," she muttered before sighing, "Stupid testosterone."

(0o0o0)

This routine repeated for the next four days, with the seventh day of the week being a day off for everyone so they would have time to recover and relax. Then something unexpected happened two weeks after the elemental training started. Hinata found herself summoned to a meting of the Hyuuga clan elders with the rest of her family. Given the looks her parents, uncle, and aunt were trading, they had no idea what was going on either. When they entered the council chamber, Hiashi and Hizashi immediately found their gaze drawn to their father, Hideki, who was the head of the council. The older man had a look of regret on his face as he gazed at Hinata, while his eyes narrowed as they looked at the majority of the other elders. The old man looked up and smiled at his sons before gesturing to seven pillows set before him. "Please be seated, I fear this will be a long discussion," he said sadly. Once everyone was seated, he said, "It was decreed this afternoon, by a majority vote that Hyuuga Hinata is to be engaged to Hyuuga Hideyoshi." As Hideki finished speaking, the door to the council chamber opened and a Hyuuga boy several years older than Neji, almost a man, entered the room. The young man, whom everyone could only assume was Hideyoshi, had an arrogant smirk on his face and rich clothes that didn't look like they would stand up to a D rank mission. Hizashi and Hiashi immediately noticed his hands were soft, showing little of the marks of combat that Neji's hands had acquired over his years of taijutsu practice. Hinata's hands were smoother, mainly due to her hobby of making medicines that kept her hands soft and lovely despite her training.

"Father, how did this get decided?" asked Hiashi.

"Hikaru and Hikari were both too sick to attend the council, without them we didn't have the majority to overrule the vote," replied Hideki. "The council has also decreed that the ancient laws of the Heir Betrothal are to be invoked." At this, Hinata gasped and glared at the council members who looked smug. The ancient laws were from a time when war was more common and tensions between the main and branch houses were even greater than they were today. She would be isolated from everyone outside of training, and even that would be monitored carefully.

Just then, the doors of the council chamber were knocked open as a Hyuuga Main house member slammed into them. "Oi, who made this jackass the captain of the guard?" asked Naruto as he walked into the room. "He said some trash about demons not being allowed inside the compound?"

"I'm sorry Naruto-san, but due to some of the elders, Hinata has been engaged to this man," said Hiashi with regret clear in his voice as he gestured to Hideyoshi, who sneered at Naruto. "Furthermore, ancient clan laws have been evoked and Hinata must remain inside the compound at all times outside of training or missions. She is also forbidden to associate with any boys outside of her fiancé... and all of the guards will be required to enforce these rules."

Naruto frowned, but knew better than to throw a temper tantrum in front of the elders. Plus, Hinata's immediate family was clearly on his side, as were most of the elders. From what he could see, the smug elders only had two more members than the frowning ones, meaning most of the council was on his side. "I see, then I will remove myself from the compound after a few questions. Is there a limit to how long these laws will be in effect?"

"Yes, after two months if Hinata has not said she loves her fiancé the betrothal will be over and the laws inapplicable. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but with the current situation Konoha is in I'm afraid you will not be able to see Hinata for two months," replied Hiashi.

"Well, I think I can hold out for two months," said Naruto before he walked up to Hideyoshi and glared at him. "If I hear even a hint that you've hurt Hinata-chan, I'll rip you apart," he snarled at the older boy.

"Hmmph, what good is the word of a filthy hanyou?" asked Hideyoshi as he turned away from Naruto. Killing intent suddenly hit Hideyoshi from behind courtesy of Neji, who didn't appreciate the insult to his friend. Hideyoshi spun around and raised his finger in a seal every branch family Hyuuga dreaded, causing Neji's mother Hoshi to scream is panic. However, Neji did not crumple in pain, much to everyone's surprise.

"Leave Neji-nii-san alone!" growled Hinata, her own hands raised in a different seal. Green chakra surrounded her hands, matching the green glow that came from beneath Neji's Hitai-ate. The Hyuuga genius removed his forehead protector to reveal the Caged Bird seal was the source of the glow. "I may not be able to remove the Caged Bird seal because I'm not the head of the clan yet, but I'll be damned if I'll let you hurt anyone in my family with it again!" declared Hinata before her foot lashed out and knocked Hideyoshi off his feet, causing him to lose his concentration and drop the activation seal. Hinata then turned to Naruto and bowed sadly as she said, "I will see you in two months Uzumaki-san."

"Of course Hyuuga-hime," said Naruto with his own bow before he smirked at Hideyoshi and walked out of the chamber.

(0o0o0)

The next month was nerve-wracking for everyone. Naruto threw himself into his training, working around the clock to master his wind chakra. Since there were no missions, he didn't see Hinata except for one time at the hospital where Tsunade assigned Hinata to give Naruto a check up after he was found in the training ground passed out from chakra exhaustion. Naruto's family became worried when he stopped showing up for meals following that incident. When Sasuke asked him, Neji admitted he had been expecting Naruto to be moping outside the compound hoping for a glimpse of Hinata, but he hadn't been seen by any of the Hyuuga guards.

Hinata was not having an easy time either. One of the minor laws of the Hyuuga clan was that the heir must listen to the instructions of their fiancé in regards to training so the heir could learn all they could about their fiancé's fighting style. After the confrontation with Naruto, Hideyoshi forbade Hinata from continuing her miko training with Kudora, forcing her to instead practice with the Gentle Fist by claiming she was inferior to the image the heir must project. This forced Hinata to remain inside the Hyuuga compound even more and her friends rarely saw her.

"I don't like this," said Tayuya as the remaining Uzumaki siblings sat at a Korean BBQ stand for lunch on their day off. Tayuya had been given approval to join Konoha a few weeks ago and was proudly wearing a Konoha Hitai-ate on her forehead and a darker version of Anko's typical wear with a black t-shirt to preserve her modesty. A Chuunin vest also served as protection for her upper body, since Tayuya didn't want Anko claiming the red head stole her look. "Nobody has seen Naruto outside of training; he just vanishes the moment all eyes are off him. Not even Okaa-san can track him down..."

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about the dobe's mental health," said Sasuke. "He's not smiling any more; it's only a matter of time before all the emotions he's bottling up break loose. I don't want to be in his way when that happens."

"What do you mean?" asked Haku.

"Remember what he was like when he thought you killed me??? Imagine it ten times worse because of how strong he's grown," said Sasuke, causing Akemi and Haku's faces to pale.

"Well, if we can find him, do you think we could drag him home so Okaa-san can look him over?" asked Akemi as she fiddled with her chopsticks.

"Probably the best bet, he's too stubborn to open up to anyone," said Haku with a sigh.

Akemi's head suddenly shot up and she leapt from her seat as she caught sight of a flash of blond hair and orange clothes. "There he is!" she yelled. Leaving Sasuke to pay the tab, the three girls ran off in pursuit of their brother. Sasuke quickly caught up to the girls and the foursome cornered Naruto in a training ground meant to mimic the terrain of Earth Country. Naruto glared at his siblings as they surrounded him. Sasuke and Haku had used their speed to flank him, while Tayuya had skidded past him to block any movement forward, leaving Akemi to block the rear and keep Naruto from escaping that way.

"Naruto, come back with us! You're going to burn yourself out if this keeps up!" pleaded Haku.

"Shut up! Do you know why I'm working so hard? It's because every time I turn around I'm reminded of Hinata-chan and how I can't see her right now. There's just a compound wall standing between us, but if I break in to see her who knows what those bastard elders will do to her family or her????"

"Be that as it may, we're still going to drag you back home to get some rest," declared Tayuya.

"I'd like to see you try," growled Naruto as he raised hands full of fox fire to show he was serious.

"Alright Dobe, if that's the way you want it," countered Sasuke as he drew a kunai. Haku had several senbon in her hands, while Tayuya pulled out a pair of kunai. Akemi was the only one who didn't pull out a weapon, arming herself instead with foxfire to match Naruto.

All five siblings exploded into action as Naruto made a break for the gap between Akemi and Haku. Haku slammed her free hand on the ground and an icy mirror shot up from underground as she used the moisture in the air and ground to form a barrier of ice around the whole clearing at the same time Tayuya stamped the ground and yelled, "Shouheki (Enclosing Wall/Barrier)!" to create a stone wall behind the ice one to reinforce it. Sasuke darted towards Naruto's back, only to have the fox boy leap into the air as Sasuke zoomed under him. Naruto's foot lashed out and Sasuke slammed into Akemi, sending them both crashing to the ground. Haku quickly threw her senbon, only to see Naruto's tails swat them out of the air.

Tayuya dashed towards Naruto, using Shinobiashi (Stealthy Steps) no jutsu to move so silently that Naruto's only warning that she was about to attack was her scent appearing at his back. What he didn't expect was for the red headed teen to whistle loudly, causing instant disorientation for Naruto due to his superior hearing. The disorientation gave Haku the chance she needed to hurl a single senbon that hit a pressure point on Naruto's back. The pressure point caused Naruto to collapse, all control over his body gone. "Come on, we've got to get him to Okaa-san," said Haku as she walked towards the downed kitsune boy. However, Naruto's youki suddenly surged out of his body and covered him in a fox shaped aura. Before any of Naruto's siblings could do anything, a shockwave of youki knocked them off their feet while shattering the barriers Haku and Tayuya had erected. Naruto ran off on all fours, despite Akemi's loud cries for him to come back. Ken and Kyuubi appeared in the clearing seconds later, having been alerted to the situation by the youki shockwave.

"What happened here?" asked Kyuubi as she took in the destroyed training ground and her disoriented kits.

"It was Naruto-nii-san… we tried to subdue him and bring him back home, but he used his youki against us," whispered Akemi. "He ran out of here on all fours, but I saw his eyes before he escaped, they were still blue."

"Well, at least he only wanted to get away and not hurt the four of you," said Kyuubi with a sigh. Just then, Rin appeared in a swirl of wind.

"I just saw Naruto enter the Forest of Death while running on all fours, what happened?" asked the wind hanyou.

"Naruto is trying to isolate himself from any reminders of Hinata until he is free to see her again," said Kyuubi sadly. "We're not going to get him to come home until he can see Hinata."

(0o0o0)

Hinata stared in the direction of the Forest of Death on the night of the new moon. Neji had heard about Naruto's situation from Sasuke and passed the news onto Hinata. The Hyuuga girl was very worried about Naruto, especially since the two months of the betrothal were almost up. Hideyoshi had only two nights to get her to agree to marry him before the betrothal would be over. Then she would be free to track Naruto down, glomp him, and kiss him so hard he'd pass out. After that she'd personally start pressing pressure points to make sure all the members of the Elder Council who caused this fiasco were constantly relieving themselves.

Hinata turned as the door to her room opened to reveal Hideyoshi. Hinata immediately frowned; he had never entered her room with out permission. "Is something the matter Hideyoshi-san?" she asked as the young man entered the room.

"Yes, I can't understand why you prefer that filthy kitsune hanyou over me," he said as he moved closer to Hinata, whom was starting to get a very bad feeling.

"You're arrogant, selfish, only concerned about the clan's image, and rude," retorted Hinata as she backed up a bit.

"So I have no hope of winning your heart?" asked Hideyoshi as he kept advancing.

"No, I'd sooner rip it out! Now get back!" yelled Hinata.

"Foolish girl, you should have just given in!" growled Hideyoshi before he lunged forward, much faster than Hinata thought a civilian could ever hope to move, and pinned her arms to her side. Hinata struggled to break free only to find that Hideyoshi was stronger than he appeared. "Look into my eyes!" said Hideyoshi and Hinata struggled to resist, but was unable to stop her eyes from gazing into his. Only they weren't the Byakugan. They were soulless black orbs and Hinata felt herself being pulled into them no matter how hard she resisted.

'Naruto-kun, help me!' screamed Hinata as she felt her mind being overpowered.

(0o0o0)

In the Forest of Death, a fox eared boy suddenly jerked upright as his instincts screamed, 'MATE IN DANGER!' to him. Naruto ran out of the forest on all fours as his youki surrounded him once again in the shape of a fox, blasting right past several of his friends and family as they kept watch outside the forest for him. Naruto ignored everything except the need to get to Hinata. When he reached the Hyuuga manor, he leapt right over the gate before the astonished guards could even start to react, darted past a wide eyed Neji, and into Hinata's room to find Hideyoshi holding an unconscious Hinata. "Let Hinata-chan go!" growled Naruto as he glared at the scum holding his girl friend.

"I don't think so you filthy half breed. It's been millennia since I could devour such a pure soul," said Hideyoshi as he suddenly transformed. Gone was the Hyuuga youth Naruto had hated. In his place was a dark skinned man with black bat wings dressed only in an armored kilt. The hair on Naruto's neck instantly rose as he smelled the lust dripping off the man.

"Incubus!" hissed Naruto as he reached for Nenshousaiga. Hinata's family had followed him and Hiashi let out a yell of outrage at the thing holding his eldest daughter before charging forward to attack.

"Pathetic," muttered the incubus as a scorpion like tail shot from under his kilt and stabbed Hiashi in the chest, sending him crashing back into Hizashi and Neji while his wife and sister in law screamed in panic.

Naruto darted forward with a yell of, "Kaen Bakushin Giri (Flame Dash Slash)!" as he attempted to slice the incubus's arms off and free Hinata, only to miss as the fiend leapt out the nearby window and unfurled his wings.

"Your precious Hinata-chan now belongs to me fox! Come and free her if you can!" taunted the incubus before he flew off.

"You won't get away from me!" yelled Naruto as he leapt out the window to pursue his foe while flashing through the dragon and monkey hand seals before yelling, "Fuuton: Tobikumo (Flying Cloud)!" A white cloud formed under Naruto's feet and the fox boy shot off after his girlfriend while riding the cloud like a surfboard.

"When did Naruto learn that jutsu?" demanded Neji.

"The day Hinata was betrothed to that bastard, when he came to your house he was going to take Hinata for a ride," said Kiba sadly. Everyone blinked as Kyuubi suddenly leapt over the entire Hyuuga mansion and bounded after her son and Hinata. The kitsune woman was covered in a youki aura like Naruto had been earlier and looked ready to kill. Everyone shuddered as they felt her killing intent sweep over them before she leapt out of sight.

(0o0o0)

"Bring Hinata-chan back!" yelled Naruto as he gathered wind and fire chakra around his claws before flinging them at the incubus with a cry of, "Tobi Kaen Tsume (Flying Flame Claw)!" that sent flaming curved blades of wind chakra at the incubus, most of which missed, but several managed to slash his wings.

'Damn fox, I can't beat him here, and his mother is catching up! I've got to escape!' thought the incubus before he opened a portal in mid air to his realm. The portal started to close, causing Naruto to push his chakra into his cloud ride. Naruto was forced to leap through the diminishing portal and Kyuubi barely missed the tear in reality as it closed. Kyuubi landed and looked at where the portal had been before releasing a howl of grief. The only way for Naruto and Hinata to return to Konoha was if they could open another portal from the other side, and neither of them had that skill. All around Konoha, foxes lifted their heads to join their queen in her grief.

(0o0o0)

As Naruto exited the other end of the portal, a fireball from Hinata's kidnapper destroyed his cloud, destroying it and causing Naruto to start cursing as he plummeted towards the ground. But Naruto was a Chuunin and easily slowed his landing with a burst of wind chakra from his feet. "Stupid bastard, when I catch him I'll rip his wings off… oh crap!" That last part was because Naruto took a look around his landing zone and saw he was surrounded by about twenty red dino fiends like they had fought outside Emi's village. "Well, looks like I have to get through the small fry before I can get Hinata-chan back! Let's dance!" Naruto drew Nenshousaiga and dashed forward, slicing the legs of four dinos before the fifth one swung a claw that nearly took his head off. Naruto countered with Odori Kitsune (Leaping Kitsune) to slice off the dino's head. Naruto landed on the headless corpse and growled as he realized he was losing track of Hinata's kidnapper. "Alright, time to make the dinosaurs be extinct again! Kuuchuuhottokattohou (Hot Cutting Method)!" Naruto surrounded Nenshousaiga with wind chakra to extend the blade's reach and then mixed in his fire chakra and fox fire to make a giant flaming blade five meters long (Think of Amidamaru's giant sword form from Shaman King). Naruto became a mad man as he hacked at anything that was red and scaly near him. Finally, after ten minutes, he had decimated the horde and stood victorious over them. "Ah, it felt good to finally cut loose! Now to rescue Hinata-chan!" Naruto darted in the direction he had last seen his girlfriend being carried in, where he saw a distant structure. As he ran, Naruto took in the landscape around him. What looked like it had until recently been a healthy forest, was now twisted and rotten. An aura of happiness lingered over the area, but it was buried beneath one of evil and suffering. Thus it wasn't really a surprise to Naruto when he exited the forest and found himself facing a massive graveyard in front of a caste that screamed evil. And Naruto was not very surprised when a bunch of giant zombies carrying large axes, maces, and bows burst out of the ground. "Ah hell," muttered Naruto before he had to leap aside to avoid a meter long arrow.

(0o0o0)

Hinata regained consciousness and found herself in what could only be a room fit for the set of one of Jiraiya's books. There were pillows everywhere and the whole place practically screamed harem room. Plus, Hinata was dressed in a dark blue harem girl outfit that she immediately decided Naruto would love and resolved to do her best to keep it in one piece so she could model it for him. Hinata found it strange that what was obviously a harem room was empty of girls besides herself, only to hear the door to the room opening. Hinata immediately leapt to the ceiling and stuck to it with her chakra while lying on all fours while using a quick Genjutsu to mask her presence. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the incubus enter the room and look around for her.

"Where is that little wench?" muttered the incubus before he felt movement behind his back and spun around just in time to see Hinata's palm glowing with chakra smash into his chest.

Hinata charged towards her kidnapper before using a spin kick to knock him back again. She followed up with a crescent kick that tossed him into the air, allowing Hinata to set up for one of the techniques she had been taught by Tsunade and Kyuubi. "Tsūtenkyaku (Painful Sky Leg)!" yelled Hinata as she brought her leg down on her captor's chest as he crashed into the ground. While Hinata was not as proficient with the technique as Tsunade, she still managed to create a descent sized crater around her foe before she flipped back to land on her feet, grab her discarded clothing and weapons, and ran out the door.

(0o0o0)

Naruto grunted as he got sent sailing by a lucky hit from a zombie' giant mace. The fox boy had managed to decimate half the undead attacking him, but they were very tough and Naruto was trying to conserve his chakra. Luckily, he had discovered that if he sliced off the zombies' heads they couldn't find him easily and started chopping and smashing one another instead of him. Many clones gave their lives to cut off the heads of the zombies, but finally Naruto was able to get away. "Stupid zombies, I'm never going near a graveyard again without Hinata-chan to purify them to dust!" Naruto resumed his journey to the castle, only to find the gate guarded by two large ogres wearing bone masks that were made from Triceratops skulls. Each ogre clutched a giant spiked club and Naruto had little doubt they could break him in two if they hit his back. "This day officially sucks," muttered Naruto as the ogres roared and charged towards him. Naruto grabbed Nenshousaiga and darted between the legs of the first ogre before unsheathing a flaming Nenshousaiga and spinning rapidly. "Ranran Kitsune Senpuu (Flaming Fox Whirlwind)!" Naruto's attack hit right at the giant fiend's ankle, shattering the left one and causing the monster to topple with a roar of pain. Naruto dodged the club strike of the second ogre, only to be caught by the flailing hand of the downed ogre. Naruto's whole world became filled with pain as the mobile ogre grabbed him and slammed him into the ground while the wounded ogre managed to climb to his feet. The wild flailing of his captor caused Naruto to loose his grip on Nenshousaiga. Thinking the fox boy was disarmed, the ogre shifted its grip to hold Naruto's head as it raised him into the air in preparation for smashing the blond with its club. It didn't notice the chakra gathering around Naruto's hands until it was too late. Naruto's arms were covered in crimson flame as he yelled, "Guren Kaina (Arm of Crimson Flame)!" and grabbed the ogre's arm holding him. A sudden detonation destroyed the arm and sent Naruto flying, but he used Shunshin to appear by Nenshousaiga and grab it before leaping into the air and hurling a set of the Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) kunai so that they landed all around the two ogres. "Chirachira Yaiba Arashi (Flickering Blade Storm)!" yelled Naruto as he disappeared from the ogres' sight before he started to appear above each of the kunai in different positions as he moved from kunai to kunai while slashing both ogres. Naruto finally landed after completing his technique and sheathed Nenshousaiga as the two ogres collapsed into finally minced pieces. He then landed a chakra packed punch to the castle gate that sent it crashing into the courtyard. Naruto sighed in relief and ran into the castle.

(0o0o0)

Hinata ran to the last place anyone would look for an escaped prisoner, the dungeons of the castle. She had caught glimpses of the surrounding country side as she ran through the castle after she slipped on her sweater and pants to provide her some modesty and protection. Easily slipping into the dungeons, Hinata was surprised to find only one cell was occupied by someone chained to the wall. From a distance, the only detail Hinata could make out was a slight feminine outline and a pair of glowing jade-colored eyes that were now staring at her in shock. "So you're the one my brother was bragging about kidnapping," said a gentle voice. Hinata stepped closer to the cage and saw a beautiful young woman chained to the wall. Her straight yellow hair hung to her waist and had once been done up elegantly. The woman had a tall and curvy build that would turn any straight guy's head, nut brown skin, prominent cheek bones, and a small mouth. The tattered rags of a simple royal purple dress were all that covered her and Hinata was glad Naruto wasn't here to see this. The only clue the woman wasn't human were the two golden bat wings, golden horns, and tail that marked her as a succubus. But to Hinata's miko powers, she wasn't evil, merely there.

"Who are you?" asked Hinata as she pulled a kunai from her supply pouch.

"I am Xaria and that despicable coward who kidnapped you is my bastard of a brother Taluz. He imprisoned me here in my own castle and transformed my loyal friends and servants into the paintings and statues that fill it. And you are?"

"Hyuuga Hinata of Konohagakure no Sato," replied Hinata. Xaria's eyes immediately lit up and she smiled.

"I remember you now; you're the girl Uzumaki Naruto always dreams of! His dreams keep me full for a month!" exclaimed the succubus.

"What do you mean?" growled Hinata as she prepared to rip the succubus apart for doing things to her Naruto-kun.

"I'm different from most succubi, I feed on the love produced by one person for another. I enter their dreams and assume the role of their true love. In this case, I enter Naruto's dream in your form and give him a nice dream that allows him to express his love for you in his sleep. He loves you so much I just pop by once a month and I'm good for the rest of the month, the other twenty nine times are like excellent desserts" said Xaria. She suddenly turned into a perfect clone of Hinata, only with blue fox ears and 3 blue fox tails swishing behind her. "I'm usually looking like this when Naruto is dreaming of your wedding night, you're in for a real treat that night and I advise you have some muscle balm ready for the next morning, you're going to be sore!" Hinata's face turned tomato red as Xaria returned to normal with a grin on her face. "Now could you please break me out of here???" asked the succubus. "I swear on my name that neither I, Xaria, or my servants will harm your loved ones or yourself." Since a demon's word was binding when they swore upon their name, this was all that Hinata needed to hear before she reached into her supply pouch for a set of lock picks.

Hinata immediately set to work picking the lock on the jail cell before working on the locks of the shackles holding Xaria to the wall. The succubus rubbed her wrists once she was free before flapping her wings to stretch them. "I'm going to get that bastard for doing this to me, nobody locks up a succubus queen and gets away with it… maybe I can feed him to the tentacle monsters, I do owe them for answering a summons for me a few years ago and taking care of that gay snake man." Hinata giggled since Naruto had told her the story after Tayuya told it to him.

The happy moment was interrupted by the door to the dungeon crashing open as Taluz kicked it down with a roar of anger. "You little bitch, I'm going to make you into my little fXXX slave and then show you to your boyfriend as you fulfill my every need!" screamed the incubus. He lunged towards Hinata, only to be forced to dive aside to avoid a ball of dark blue fire Xaira hurled at him.

"Hinata, get out of here! I'll take care of my bastard of a brother!" yelled Xaria as she summoned a rapier with a glowing blue blade and silver armor to protect herself. Taluz countered with a giant battle axe and dark plate mail. Hinata dashed out of the dungeon, Byakugan activated so she could navigate through the castle, when she saw Naruto fighting a giant creature with a huge zanbatō.

(0o0o0)

Naruto leapt backwards, barely dodging the giant sword as it slammed into the floor of the castle's great hall. "First dino fiends, then ogres, and now a berserker??? I'm getting sick of all these fiends!" groaned the fox boy. He had initially thought the berserker was a statue with a giant sword in its grasp since the fiend had been standing perfectly still until Naruto had passed it. Then the giant knight clad in skeletal armor had attempted to slice off Naruto's head, only his sixth sense saved him from being headless. Naruto had been stuck dodging all the later attacks, not having time to draw Nenshousaiga combined with the fact he wasn't sure he could block the zanbatō with his sword. Plus, the berserker was almost completely covered in his bone armor, including a horned skull, powerful claws on his hands and feet, and a thick armored tail that Naruto knew would hurt if it hit him. Naruto finally got a chance to draw his sword as the berserker missed his swing and buried his blade in the wall of the hall. Naruto whipped out Nenshousaiga and charged his adversary, actually leaping onto the Zanbatō's blade and running along it to slash the fiend's neck, the one spot it didn't have any armor. Naruto rolled off the blade to avoid the splatter of green blood that erupted out of the fiend's neck. Naruto grinned as the berserker fell to one knee, but his eyes widened as it suddenly stood up with the Zanbatō in its grasp before throwing its head back and roaring in anger. Now Naruto remembered his mother telling him how berserkers could return to full health after they were killed by transforming into a faster and stronger form. A wave of fire rose up around the fiend, turning the armor black. The next thing Naruto knew he was crashing into the wall of the great hall after the berserker used a teleport dash to tackle him with its shoulder. "Oh hell, a speed upgrade, oka-san never mentioned those" muttered the kitsune boy before he fell to his knees. 'Of course, she could probably do so much damage there wasn't enough of the freak to activate the second stage,' he thought before rolling to avoid a barrage of fireballs.

"Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Style: Gunshot)!" yelled a voice as a thick ball of water slammed into the berserker. Hinata followed the water ball with a kunai barrage, which only annoyed the berserker until the explosive tags on the kunai exploded, tossing it backwards and away from Naruto. Hinata immediately assumed a defensive stance in front of Naruto. "Are you alright Naruto-kun?" she asked, never taking her gaze off the berserker.

"I'm fine, but we need to take this bastard down fast!" replied Naruto as he climbed to his feet. "He won't stop attacking until we're dead or we kill him!" The berserker proved him right by charging at the two, making three fast swipes with his huge sword that they barely dodged. Hinata landed and flashed through seals that Naruto recognized, but had no idea how it would help them now.

"Houyoku (Phoenix Wings)!" yelled Hinata. The wings of flaming chakra unfolded from her back, causing the berserker to pause in its next attack to see what was about to happen. Hinata leapt high into the air, the vaulted ceiling of the great hall giving her plenty of room. Then the phoenix wings flapped and Naruto stared amazed as his girlfriend hovered in mid air. Hinata suddenly dive bombed the berserker, who raised his sword to block. But Hinata zoomed right past him, using her flaming wing to attack with a yell of, "Shoenzan (Soaring Flame Slash)!" The wing became a giant flaming blade that sliced the berserker's side as Hinata zoomed up to avoid any counter attack. Naruto took this opportunity to charge up his next attack.

"Eapurazumasetsudan (Air Plasma Cutting)!" yelled the fox boy before sending a wave of wind and fire chakra to hit the berserker's other arm, though his attack didn't leave a large wound like Hinata's did. The fiend howled in rage and charged towards Naruto, leaving its back open to Hinata, who dove down and grabbed the fiend before soaring up into the air. The surprised fiend dropped its massive sword, lightening the load for Hinata as she flew to the top of the hall's ceiling.

"Rakuhouha (Fallen Phoenix Crush)!" yelled Hinata as she dove towards the ground while spinning like the final stage in Lee's Omote Renge (Initial Lotus). The berserker crashed into the ground while Hinata pulled up at the last second and zoomed to safety with only inches to spare.

Naruto had used the time Hinata's attack gave him to charge up a Guren Kaina (Arm of Crimson Flame). He dashed forward with the crimson flame forming a giant fox head and rammed his arm right through the berserker, who burned up as its insides were subjected to intense heat. Naruto and Hinata sighed in relief as they slumped down. Hinata's phoenix wings faded away and she slowly walked over to Naruto with a smile. The fox boy had climbed to his feet and was panting from using so much chakra this day, but he still smiled brightly as Hinata approached. Hinata couldn't resist anymore and ran up to Naruto, hugging him tightly before she pulled his head down into a kiss. Naruto happily responded, wrapping his arms around Hinata and holding her tight. Naruto's eyes widened as the usually calm Hinata proceeded to shove her tongue into his mouth and French kiss him. All seven of Naruto's tails shot up and became stiff, causing Hinata to giggle even as she continued to kiss him. Their reunion was interrupted by the arrival of Taluz, who kicked down the door to the hall and strode in, dragging his sister after him by her hair. Taluz still carried his giant axe, though several slashes on his dark plate armor showed Xaria had scored a few hits.

"Pathetic, she couldn't even hurt me. Since the two of you beat my general, maybe you'll give me some entertainment," said Taluz before he tossed Xaria down the hall. Hinata caught the succubus in her arms, gasping slightly as she saw the many cuts made in Xaria's dress and the dried blood clinging to them. "Don't worry girl, I have plans for you! I'll just have to skin your fox and make him my new coat," said the incubus as he twirled his axe. Then he had to bring it up to guard against a kunai and shuriken barrage courtesy of Hinata.

"You won't lay a hand on Naruto-kun!" growled Hinata.

"And I won't let you do any perverted things to Hinata-chan!" yelled Naruto before he hurled a tri-bladed kunai at Taluz. Just before the kunai reached the incubus, Naruto appeared above it and attacked with Nenshousaiga. Taluz easily blocked the attack with his battle axe, but Naruto slipped a power-filled kick under his guard and sent Taluz crashing into the wall. Taluz climbed to his feet as Naruto yelled, "Tobi Kaen Tsume (Flying Flame Claw)!" as he slashed the air to hurl dozens of flaming wind blades at the incubus. The attack left many wounds on Taluz but didn't do much damage.

"Die!" yelled Taluz as he leapt into the air and used his wings to hover in mid air. The incubus raised his free hand in command and a dark portal opened beside him. Giant demon bats shot out of the portal, zooming towards Naruto. However, a certain Hyuuga heiress was not going to let the monsters reach her beloved. Hinata leapt into the air and somersaulted while hurling some shuriken to make the bats stay back.

Hinata landed and prepared to use a move she'd developed by combining her water chakra training with her family's taijutsu. Raising her right hand just in front of her face to help focus her chakra, Hinata took an odd stance Naruto hadn't seen before by putting her left leg slightly in front of her right leg. The eight trigrams seal appeared beneath Hinata as she activated her Byakugan. "Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho (Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" yelled Hinata before she started rapidly moving her hands as she shot thin beams of chakra from them. The beams sliced up the demon bats, causing them to screech in anger. Then Hinata added her miko powers to the attack and the bats turned to dust as the now pink beams sliced into them. Hinata's arms blurred as she wove a wall of miko powered beams to intercept all the bats.

Naruto shook himself before turning his attention to Taluz. The incubus was still keeping his hand in the air to keep the portal open. "Naruto Ninpocho: Jouro Kitsune Bi (Naruto's Ninja Art: Raining Fox Fire)!" yelled Naruto before he hurled a foxfire ball above Taluz that burst into a rain of fireballs. The incubus was forced to dodge the fireballs, causing him to lose his focus on the portal and letting it close. Hinata immediately started trying to slice off Taluz's wings, forcing him to dodge two attacks at once. "Odori Kitsune (Leaping Kitsune)!" yelled Naruto as he leapt into the air with Nenshousaiga's blade held steady over his head. Taluz's axe was there to block the blow however, and Naruto was forced to drop to the ground. Hinata had stopped her attack to avoid hitting Naruto, now she prepared to resume her jutsu, only to see Naruto holding his hand out to stop her. "Hinata-chan, I think we're going to have to do that move we tried out before all of this started…" he said.

"Naruto-kun, that's dangerous! I could kill you!" yelled Hinata.

"Well, even if you do you'll go into a rage and wipe him out," countered Naruto. "Now let's do this and kick his ass!"

"Alright, but if this doesn't work I'm going to have Kagura-chan raise your spirit to let your mom yell at you!" growled Hinata before biting her thumb as Naruto did before smearing the blood on her hand. Both slammed their bloody hands together as they yelled, "Konbi Henge: Tennyo (Combination Transform: Celestial Maiden)!" Naruto and Hinata were hidden from view by a bright light that caused Taluz to advert his eyes. When he regained his sight, he saw a tall young woman standing before him. She had dark blue hair done up in a pony tail, nine blue tails with white tips, fox ears, a white robe with Nenshousaiga tucked into the belt, fox eyes with a familiar lavender color, and the blazing phoenix wings fluttering behind her back.

"Alright, time to kick some demon butt!" yelled the woman.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Taluz, fighting down his instincts to run off like a dog with its tail between its legs.

"I am Nirata, the expression of Naruto and Hinata's true love and power. It is my duty to defeat those who would harm them and their precious people with the wrath of the heavens!!!" declared the winged fox woman as she drew Nenshousaiga. Pink flames sprang up around the blade, causing Taluz to feel fear. This was something he had never encountered or heard of before, miko powers combined perfectly with youkai. Add in the nine fox tails behind Nirata and his only hope to win this fight would be to strike quickly and hard.

Taluz suddenly split his giant battle axe into two smaller hand axes that he hurled at the heavenly maiden. The axes were covered in black fire and seemed to slice the air as they spun. But Nirata simply swung Nenshousaiga to deflect the weapons, sending them flying away from her to bury themselves in the stone wall of the great hall. However, Taluz had dashed forward behind his weapons and slammed his fist into Nirata's stomach. The winged kitsune flew across the hall and slammed into the wall. Taluz followed, delivering a double overhead blow to the kitsune's head to send her crashing to the floor face first. Nirata's arms snapped down and she pushed off the floor to spring back up and slam her feet into Taluz's chin. The demon lord slammed into the ceiling of the hall and started to fall, stunned, towards the ground. Nirata had dashed over to Nenshousaiga and grabbed the sword, quickly focusing her powers into the blade. A giant pink aura surrounded the blade, as well as wisps of cloud. "Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Sword of The Gathering Clouds of Heaven)!" yelled Nirata as she dashed towards the falling Taluz and disappeared just before she reached him. She reappeared on the other side of Taluz as she prepared to sheath the blade. As the sword hit the sheath, Taluz hit the ground and exploded into a cloud of dust starting at his chest where he had been sliced in half. "Well, that's over with," said Nirata as she stood up and smiled before she split into two distinct female forms obscured by bright light. The light faded to reveal Naruto in a clothed version of his Sexy no Jutsu form and Hinata in the clothes she had been wearing earlier.

"Now what's this harem outfit I saw in your recent memories?" asked Naruto as she wrapped her arms around Hinata before unzipping the Hyuuga's sweater.

"Naruto!" gasped Hinata, trying to get the blond to stop, only to have her arms and legs grabbed by a fox tail each.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I just want to see how beautiful you look!" said Naruto as she removed the sweater and Hinata's pants using her arms and free tails, revealing the harem outfit Hinata had found herself dressed in upon waking up in Taluz's room. "Oh my! Hinata-chan, I hope you keep that for our wedding night!" whispered Naruto huskily as she kissed Hinata before releasing the blushing girl and helping her put her regular clothes back on. After Hinata was dressed, Naruto gave her one last kiss on the cheek before resuming his normal form. Hinata immediately ran over to Xaria and helped the succubus sit up while examining her for serious injuries.

"Stupid bastard got lucky, I was still weak from several months without a meal. I'm just lucky the last meal I had was one of Naruto's better dreams," muttered Xaria as she surveyed the damage done to her great hall. "Sorry Hinata, he beat me."

"It's okay Xaria-san, Naruto-kun and I destroyed him!" said Hinata.

"Yeah, that bastard didn't stand a chance between the two of us!" declared Naruto as he cleaned Nenshousaiga's blade.

"I saw flashes of it… I feel sorry for anyone who tries to separate the two of you without a good reason," said Xaria.

"Yeah, when Hinata had chicken pox I sat outside her window all day just talking to her to keep her company since I couldn't catch the virus. When an elder tried to have me thrown out of the compound I turned his clothes to ash!" said Naruto as he pulled a blank scroll from his supply pouch and started drawing a sealing circle in it as he eyed the berserker's sword eagerly. No way was he going to leave such a big badass sword just lying there. He figured someone in Konoha could use it.

Xaria meanwhile walked to the throne at the back of the hall with Hinata's help and rested her hand on the arm rest. "I, Xaria, of the Netsuai (Ardent love) clan, do hereby retake my rightful throne that was stolen by treachery by my Brother Taluz. I claim friendship to Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and all their descendants for all time!" With that, Xaria sat down on the throne. Instantly, a wave of power surged through the whole castle and surrounding area. The cemetery outside was replaced by an open field great for picnics while the remains of the red dinos were swallowed up by a thick forest. The castle also changed, all the damage caused by Taluz's rule being repaired while Xaria's friends and servants were released from the enchantments binding them. Male and female demons and youkai found themselves released from their picture and statue captivity and ran to the great hall to greet their mistress in joy. Xaria was laughing with delight as she hugged and kissed everyone before raising her hands. Silence instantly filled the hall. "Everyone, it is wonderful to see you again. But you owe your freedom to these two, they are the ones who defeated my evil brother Taluz, may he burn in the fires of Hell forever!" At this the whole crowd turned and bowed to the embarrassed Naruto and Hinata. "Now, we feast!" yelled Xaria as she clapped her hands to create a grand feast on the table of the hall. She then turned to Naruto and Hinata as she said, "Feel free to eat and celebrate with us, time moves more quickly in this realm than in your own, so you can rest and recover here before leaving." With that assurance, Naruto and Hinata were seated and eating heartily. Neither one had eaten much during their forced separation, so they both ate enough to give Chouji a feeling of contentment while chatting with Xaria's friends and servants. Somehow Hinata was convinced to remove her shinobi clothing and spent the rest of the feast cuddled close to a grinning Naruto in her new harem outfit. While neither of the Konoha inhabitants drank any sake, apparently something in the fruit juice they served affected kitsune since Hinata soon found herself being hugged by Naruto-chan once again, only this time she was dressed in her own red harem outfit that made her look even more alluring to Hinata. Hinata was slightly relieved since Naruto-chan only wanted to cuddle, while a male Naruto would be harder to resist if he wanted to take things further.

(0o0o0)

All of the remaining rookie nine, Team Gai, Team Kunoichi, and the entire Hyuuga clan were gathered in the courtyard of the Hyuuga compound. If had been an hour since Naruto and Hinata had disappeared through the portal Taluz had opened. Kyuubi was angrily contacting her friends in the demon realms with messenger foxes to find out where her son and Hinata were while Hikari was hugging Hanabi tightly as they watched a silently crying Hiashi reduce a training dummy to splinters. The sudden appearance of another portal in the middle of the courtyard had everyone jumping to prepare for an attack. Tenten, Haku, and Aki immediately took to the roof tops while the rest of their comrades assumed ready stances with the boys in front incase the incubus was back to make a quick grab and snatch for another girl. So they were all surprised when Naruto walked out of the portal carrying a sleeping Hinata. The Hyuuga girl was still dressed in her harem outfit and had a death grip on Naruto. "Hehehehe, sorry for acting like a jackass everyone," said Naruto as everyone stared at the couple.

"Given the circumstances, I think we understand," said Ken as he whacked Jiraiya on the head to get him to stop ogling Hinata.

"Naruto… why is my daughter in that outfit???" demanded Hiashi as he slowly walked towards the blond boy.

"Well, it's kind of a long story…" Naruto started to say, only to be interrupted by Xaria stepping through the portal.

"And I think I should tell it. You two fought hard today to save my people and me, you need to rest," she said before surveying her audience. Hikari quickly led Naruto to Hinata's room, where the effects of using so much chakra in one day finally caught up with the boy and he collapsed beside Hinata onto her bed. Hikari smiled and tucked her daughter and future son in law in for the night.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Naruto-kun, this is the second time you brought my daughter back to me," said Hikari as she kissed the kitsune on the cheek before leaving the couple alone. As she exited the room, she turned back and saw Hinata had grabbed Naruto's tails and was holding them like a teddy bear. Taking a quick picture with the camera she always carried for these situations, Hikari smiled and left the couple alone.

**I had this scene in mind, but I couldn't use it because I needed no contact between Naruto and Hinata, so here you have the first Dragon Man written omake for NTKH!!!**

Omake

The next few weeks were very nerve wracking for Hinata. Hideyoshi was, in her opinion, a total ass and she couldn't wait for the two months to be over so she could beat the crap out of him for his behavior. He talked down to her entire family, belittled her friends, and insulted Naruto at every turn. 'Maybe I can brand him with the caged bird seal and activate it, if anyone deserves that seal it's him!' she thought as she walked home from her water manipulation training.

Hinata was brought to a stop as a cheerful voice yelled, "Hinata-chan!" before she found herself being hugged. A familiar scent hit Hinata's nose and she realized Naruto was hugging her, only to feel two soft mounds pressing into her back. Hinata spun around to see Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu form standing in front of her, only at a less mature age, more likely what Naruto would have looked like as a girl at his current age. Naruto-chan still had her hair up in pig tails, only it was bright red like Akemi's and there was no sign of her whisker marks, tails, or ears. But what startled Hinata the most was the outfit the girl was wearing. Naruto-chan was wearing a skin tight white body suit covered by a tight blue shirt, a blue short skirt, and a pair of blue combat boots. Over everything else she was wearing a grey trench coat like Anko's with her Hitai-ate on her forehead. Hinata was surprised to find her cheeks growing warm as Naruto-chan hugged her again and quickly hugged her 'friend' back. "I just got back from my team's mission when I heard from the others that you were engaged! Is this true?" asked Naruto-chan.

"Yes Akane-chan, it's true. And now I can't see Uzumaki-san for another month!" said Hinata.

"Well, why don't you introduce me to this fiancé of yours?" asked Akane with a smile.

"Alright, but you have to promise not to put him in the hospital if he insults you, otherwise the council will extend the time of the betrothal while he recovers," said Hinata.

"Cross my heart, hope to die, I will never tell a lie!" chanted Akane. Hinata smiled and led the way to the Hyuuga compound, where two of the guards who were friendly to her family were on duty.

"Ah, Hinata-sama, who is your friend?" asked one of the guards with a smile.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten Akane-chan already?" demanded Hinata with a cute pout. "I know she hasn't been by for a month, but this is ridiculous!" The guard blinked, but understood when he saw Akane's blue eyes become slitted for a second as three whisker marks appeared on each of her cheeks before disappearing.

"Forgive me Akane-san, my memory is a bit fuzzy due to a sparring accident a few days ago," he said before waving them through the gate. As the two entered the compound, both guards had the same thought running through their heads, 'Only Uzumaki Naruto would think of turning into a girl to get close to his girlfriend when she was forbidden from seeing boys.'

(0o0o0)

Akane smiled as she lay on a pillow beside Hinata in the heiress's room. The two were talking like old friends catching up after a long separation, while Hanabi had joined them and was currently brushing out Akane's long hair into a waterfall of red tresses that reached to the middle of her back. The happy time of the three girls was interrupted by the door opening to reveal Hideyoshi. "Who is this Hinata-chan?" asked Akane.

"This is my fiancé, Hideyoshi-san," said Hinata. "Hideyoshi-san, this is Akane-chan, one of my friends. She's been on a long term mission and just got back today."

"Hmmmph, you shouldn't mingle with such commoners, it dirties the name of the Hyuuga clan," sneered Hideyoshi.

"Hinata-chan, are you sure this _thing_ is a guy and everyone isn't just seeing the huge stick shoved up his ass showing out his front?" asked Akane.

"How dare you!" yelled Hideyoshi as he lunged towards Akane, only to find himself falling to the ground as she rolled on her hands to sweep his feet out from under him before bringing her leg back around for an axe kick to his stomach. Hideyoshi rolled away from the attack and sprang to his feet, only to see Akane's fist right in front of his face. The Hyuuga teen went crashing through the sliding door as Akane punched him, blood pouring out of his nose. Hideyoshi staggered to his feet as Akane charged him and assumed the Jyuuken stance. Hideyoshi's hand shot towards Akane's heart, only to pass right through her. "Bunshin!" gasped the teen, before he sensed someone behind him.

"Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu no Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi (Hidden Leaf Secret: Taijutsu Supreme Technique: Thousand Years of Death)!" roared Akane as she jammed her index fingers into Hideyoshi's rectum. "Hmmm, there's a big stick in there!" declared the girl before she sent her opponent rocketing into the air with a burst of chakra. "Well, he spoiled the mood. And I kept my promise Hinata-chan, I mostly kicked him and blasted him with a chakra punch, he'll only be out a few hours. I'll see you later Hinata-chan!" said Akane before she formed the ram seal and disappeared with a Konoha Shunshin (Leaf Body flicker).

'Naruto-kun... thank you for cheering me up,' thought Hinata as she gazed at where her disguised boyfriend had just been.

(0o0o0)

Hideyoshi regained consciousness and wished he hadn't. He had landed in a dumpster, which had been held open by a certain blond fox boy as he followed Hideyoshi's progress through the air to predict his landing point, and now he was covered in refuse. "I can't wait to put that bitch in her place! How dare she humiliate me like this! And that spoiled little princess is going to be sorry she ever thought of rejecting me!" His rant was cut off as a bag of trash landed on his head, courtesy of a pair of red haired girls who grinned down at their brother who was giving them a thumbs up. A girl with finned ears used some senbon to administer some embarrassing effects to Hideyoshi's body via pressure points before a black haired boy smirked as he used a minor Katon jutsu to weld the dumpster's lid closed.

"Operation Bastard Humiliation is a success!" declared Naruto as he led his siblings home. It would be many hours before Hideyoshi was tracked down. When he was, his robes had been soiled by his own waste and the garbage around him, he couldn't sit down for a week, and he was unable to appreciate Icha Icha Paradise due to his equipment refusing to rise to the occasion.

**And that's the end of this chapter. Next one, the war with Sound begins with Konoha taking the first move! Konoha's 15 are given their most important mission since rescuing Sasuke! Operation: Kuchifusagi (imposition of silence)!**


	25. Tail 24: Operation Kuchifusagi

**Roar of the Dragon: This chapter was hard to write. I had no reference and had to make everything up. In other news, I'm sorry to say the story is almost over. I'm not sure how many more chapters, at max two. Then we can start the sequel, Hanyou Trials.**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

**_Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle and the climactic battle of chapter 34 (listed as chapter 35 in the story because she wrote a bonus oneshot before it)!_**

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**_Fic promotion: Ryuuhoshi by Tsunami227. It's pretty good, I suggest you guys give it a read and leave a review_**!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

Naruto woke up to one of the most wonderful sights in the world for him. Hinata's smiling face as she hugged his tails made the past two months feel like a nightmare. The sound of small nails moving across the floor outside the room alerted Naruto to the fact they were not alone. Gishou poked his head into the room and grinned when he saw Naruto was awake. The little kitsune ran and leapt onto his friend's body before licking Naruto's face. Naruto reached up and scratched his friend's ears, smiling as he felt Hinata shift a little and hug his tails to her body. At this point, all was right in Naruto's world and he wished he could stay like this forever. However, Naruto knew that once Gishou failed to return, his mother would know he at least was up and come to get him. Naruto carefully reached over and shook Hinata's shoulder. "Come on Hinata-chan, time to wake up!" he said. Hinata's eyes slowly opened and she smiled upon seeing Naruto gazing at her and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning Naruto-kun."

"Thanks Hinata-chan. I'd better leave so you can get changed…" said Naruto as he reluctantly prepared to exit the bed.

"You should do the same, your clothes are in terrible condition…" said Hinata as she wrinkled her nose. Naruto glanced down and admitted that aside from his jacket, which turned out to be made from fire rat hair according to his mother and could never be stained, all of his clothes were covered in the blood of the fiends he had fought through to rescue Hinata and torn from his time in the Forest of Death.

"Hehehehe, guess so. See you in a little bit for breakfast?" asked the kitsune boy. Hinata nodded and Naruto smiled before vanishing in a burst of blue flame with a Foxfire Shunshin. Hinata smiled and walked over to her closet to remove a clean outfit before she removed her new harem outfit and pulled on a yukata to protect her modesty while she went to the family baths.

(0o0o0)

Naruto grinned as he stepped out of his room. The Uzumaki house was quiet in the early morning; no sounds of breakfast being prepared reached his ears. Naruto had managed to shower and give his tails a thorough scrub without being disturbed and had just finished changing into fresh clothes. As he stepped into the hall, he heard a door open followed by a gasp and squeal of, "Naruto-nii-chan!" before he was glomped by his little sister. Akemi grabbed onto Naruto and wouldn't let go, a happy growl reached Naruto's ears causing him to smile as he hugged Akemi back, causing her tails to start wagging.

The happy moment was ruined by a fist smashing into Naruto's head from behind and he fell to the ground. Looking up, he gulped as he saw an angry looking Tayuya. "You idiot! We've been worried sick about you and you were trying to sneak out without us?" she yelled. Behind her, Haku and Sasuke both scowled at Naruto, who rubbed his hair nervously.

"Well, Hinata-chan said she wanted to have breakfast with me…" explained the fox boy.

"We've all been invited to breakfast with Hinata's family," said Kyuubi as she exited the master bedroom with Ken. Both parents pulled Naruto into a hug, while Kyuubi's tails reached out to pull her other kits in also. "And as for you young man, we're going to have a long talk about stupid behavior like giving into your instincts to much and worrying your family," she said as she lightly smacked Naruto on the head.

"Everyone is abusing me!" Naruto pretended to sob as he wiped fake tears from his eyes.

"Don't worry Nii-chan, I still love you!" chirped Akemi as she hugged Naruto more.

"Oh Akemi-chan, your loyalty to me is so touching!" sobbed Naruto as he pulled her loose and spun her through the air in his arms. "When I am Hokage I shall make you my ANBU captain!"

"I thought I was going to be your ANBU captain!" yelled Sasuke.

"Yeah, but you're obviously not as loyal as the cute Akemi-chan!" said Naruto.

"Why, you!" yelled Sasuke before he tackled Naruto. The blond tossed Akemi to Tayuya just before Sasuke reached him and the two disappeared into a cloud of dust as they fought with random limbs and heads appearing out of the cloud.

"Boys…" said Haku, Tayuya, and Kyuubi with a sigh while Ken leaned against the wall laughing his head off at the boys' behavior.

(0o0o0)

"Hiashi-sama, the Uzumaki clan has arrived," said a branch family member.

"Excellent, show them in," said Hiashi as he glanced at where Hinata was fidgeting at the table. Her head had snapped up at the name Uzumaki and she was clearly eager to pounce on Naruto. He also noticed Aki was watching the girl from her seat next to Neji. Aki had adapted well to living with the Hyuuga family over the past month and Hiashi smiled as he saw his nephew reach over and gently squeeze her hand. A gust of wind blew through the dining room and Hiashi blinked as Naruto seemed to appear out of nowhere kneeling next to Hinata while the rest of his surprised family watched from the entrance to the dining room.

"Hinata-chan, your eyes are more gorgeous than all the pearls in the world, your skin more delicate than the lily, your hair more calming than the waterfall, and your heart is that of a goddess!" declared Naruto as he kissed Hinata's hand, causing her to blush forty shades of red before he released her hand. Everyone stared at Naruto in shock that the hyperactive blonde could make such a passion-filled speech.

"Arigato, Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she gestured for him to sit down beside her. Akemi immediately claimed the seat on Naruto's other side, not wanting to leave her big brother's side since he'd been avoiding everyone for the last two months. Akemi made it a point to spend time with each member of her family each day when they were all in Konoha. She was currently making up for lost time with Naruto and he had a feeling she would be following him all day if she could. Once everyone was seated, the meal started. Naruto ate rapidly but politely, despite the huge amount of food he had consumed during the party at Xaria's castle. His chakra reserves had grown exponentially over the past two months, meaning he needed lots of food and rest to fully recover after digging so deeply into them.

(0o0o0)

As everyone was finally finished with the meal and sitting around chatting and sipping drinks, Kyuubi cleared her throat and got everyone's attention. "Hiashi-sama, Hikari-san, thank you for having us over. Now that we are alerted to the problem with the council, what steps shall we take to prevent events such as this from happening again?"

"That's easy," said Hiashi as he turned to Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto, do you love my daughter and intend to marry her someday?"

"Hai!" exclaimed Naruto as he straightened immediately under Hiashi's gaze.

"Hinata, would you accept Uzumaki-kun's hand in marriage after you are old enough to be wed?" asked Hiashi as his gaze focused on his daughter.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama," said Hinata softly, having a good idea where this was going already.

"Then the two of you are engaged as soon as you sign this contract," said Hiashi as he pulled a scroll from his robe, only to see it disappear as Hinata grabbed and opened the scroll faster than he expected. Hinata's eyes flashed through the scroll as she read its contents and she quickly bit her thumb to sign her name on the line provided. Naruto did the same and promptly kissed Hinata on the cheek once the blood had dried.

"Excellent Hiashi, the council will not be able to do anything now," said Hikari with a smile.

"Thank you for taking care of this so quickly, Hiashi-san," said Kyuubi with a polite half bow. "I also have an announcement to make." At this, everyone's ears and eyes were focused on the kitsune woman. "I'm pregnant again, there's going to be another little Uzumaki kitsune running around!"

There was a moment of stunned silence before Naruto broke it with a loud yell of "Yatta!"

"How far along are you?" demanded Hikari as she looked her kitsune friend over for signs of pregnancy.

"Two months, I was waiting for things to return to normal before I told anyone," said Kyuubi with a smile as she gently rested her hand on her waist.

"We were all so worried about Naruto we never noticed," muttered Tayuya.

"Don't worry, by the time the baby is born everything should be fine," said Kyuubi with a smile.

"By the way, it might interest you to hear what results we've gotten from our investigation into how an incubus could pose as a Hyuuga for so long," said Hizashi, causing everyone's mood to turn serious. "We examined Hideyoshi's room and found traces of a pentagram, some recently killed chickens, and other demonic summoning equipment. It looks like Hideyoshi summoned the incubus to help him seduce Hinata but he made a mistake in the circle and the demon stole his soul and took on his form."

"That makes sense, those western summoners tend to use the circle to bind a demon to them and if they make a mistake the demon breaks the binding and takes them to hell. Unlike ninja that sign a contract with a summon clan; western summoners can summon any type of demon if they have enough power." muttered Kyuubi.

"That also explains why he had me halt my miko training, he didn't want me to figure things out." said Hinata.

"All I can say is I'm glad he's dead." muttered Naruto.

(0o0o0)

Several hours later, Neji was heading to Aki's room to ask her if she wanted to take a walk with him, only to stop as he heard voices coming from the room.

"Wow Naruto, it's so big!" gasped Aki.

"Yeah, I can barely fit my hand around the base," said Tenten with a tone of awe.

"I can't believe you survived being stabbed by this thing Hinata," said Aki.

"I was kind of lost in the moment," muttered Hinata.

"Yeah, and you girls should thank Hinata for suggesting that I show this to you," said Naruto, causing Neji's image of his sweet innocent cousin to shatter.

"Thanks Hinata, it's the perfect solution to a problem I've been having," said Aki.

At this point, Neji had heard enough and broke through his shock to slam open the door to Aki's room while yelling, "What the FXXX is going on here????!!!!"

The sight that met Neji's eyes was not what he expected. Tenten and Aki were examining a giant zanbatō while Hinata was sitting on Naruto's lap reading a scroll. None of the four were missing any clothes, though Naruto's jacket was tied around his waist. Neji's face turned bright red and he spun around before dashing out of the room. Moments later he was in the garden bashing his head against a tree while yelling, "DAMN YOU KAKASHI AND YOUR PERVERTED READING MATERIAL!!!!"

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, he just needs to vent," said Hinata before she snuggled closer to Naruto. Aki and Tenten went back to examining the zanbatō and discussing using it in their new jutsu. Finally, the two girls reached an agreement and resealed the weapon into its scroll for easy transport. They then walked up to Naruto and Hinata.

"Hinata, we're glad you called us in to see the sword, we've got something for you. Over the last two months we've been developing special weapons for all the members of Konoha's Fifteen," said Tenten as she pulled out a scroll. "We decided to give you yours after the engagement fiasco was over so you could use it to beat up that jerk, but as you know, things didn't turn out like anyone planned. So we now present to you your new weapon! Kouryuu Kougake (Rain Dragon Fist)!" Tenten unrolled the scroll and swiped her blood along it with a flourish. The usual cloud of smoke appeared and when it cleared Hinata's eyes widened. Resting in Tenten and Aki's hands was a pair of gloves like Kakashi wore that appeared to be made from scaly blue leather.

"These are made from the skin Haku-chan sheds once a year. Akemi has been collecting and saving it but didn't have a use for it until now. We took the last shed skin and used the arms and hands to make these to make sure they would be flexible enough to allow you to use your Jyuuken," said Aki. "They'll make it easier for you to draw water from your surroundings and protect your hands and arms."

"Wow, these are amazing!" exclaimed Hinata as she pulled on the gauntlets. They fit snuggly and Hinata thought for a moment she was wearing a pair of silk gloves. "Thank you so much!" said Hinata as she hugged the two girls.

"Don't forget to thank Akemi, she was the one who suggested using Haku-chan's shed skin to make gauntlets for you," said Tenten.

"I'll go find her now!" said Hinata as she ran out of the room, leaving Naruto alone with the two older girls.

"So did you girl happen to make a weapon for me as well?" asked the kitsune boy.

"No, you've already got Nenshousaiga, another weapon wouldn't do you any good at this point," said Tenten. Naruto nodded before leaving to find Hinata while the girls continued their discussions on the zanbatō as they walked back to Tenten's house.

(0o0o0)

Sasuke stood in the middle of Team Seven's usual training ground, his mother's sword resting at his side. He had gotten the sword from its hiding place a few days after he was allowed to start training again and brought it to Tenten's parents. They had been able to restore the blade to its original glory as well as add some things at Kyuubi's request. One had been the fang of a Raiju (Thunder beast) Kyuubi had killed several decades ago and kept some fangs from as well as one of Kyuubi's fangs. Both fangs were used to strengthen the sword and make it able to conduct Sasuke's chakra. He had been able to get the sword to channel his fire chakra or lightning chakra separately, but never both at once like he was about to attempt.

Haku stood across from her boyfriend, eyes closed and hands raised to help her concentrate as she created a giant block of ice in the middle of the clearing. As the ice block reached the size she wanted, she opened her eyes and stepped back beside Kyuubi before saying, "All set, Sasuke-kun." The Uchiha boy unsheathed his mother's sword and took a deep breath before pushing his chakra into the blade. It was relatively easy to convert the chakra into electricity, but the fire chakra was harder to control in a medium besides the air. But Sasuke had been practicing this for the last week and the practice finally paid off as he felt the chakra bend to his will. Blue lightning mixed with red flame surrounding the sword blade, causing Sasuke to grin.

Sasuke raised the sword and leaned forward before dashing towards his target with the back of the blade parallel to the ground and his left arm raised to keep his balance and help him aim. "Kenjutsu: Raikakiri (Sword Arts: Lightning Fire Blade)!" cried Sasuke before he charged the ice block and stabbed the sword into it. The blade sank into the ice and the very tip of the sword reached the other side before the hand guard stopped any further progress.

"Excellent Sasuke, I knew teaching you Gatotsu (Fang Thrust) was a good idea," said Kyuubi as she smiled at the boy. She had first taught the move to his mother when she was in ANBU after she became friends with the woman and Mikoto's will had asked Kyuubi to train her son as well if something happened to her. Looking down at her arms she said, "Okay, you can join him now." Almost immediately, a small dragon rose up from its temporary nest and glided through the air to land on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke smiled and stroked the little dragon's nose.

"Well, what did you think, Pyre?" asked Sasuke. Pyre had been Sasuke's first successful summons in the real world before Sasuke summoned his father Pyreforge and performed the desired Katon: Karyū Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Missile) for the dragon elder, who assigned his son to accompany Sasuke and learn more about the human world. The little dragon loved to sit on Sasuke's shoulder when he wasn't in the way and would eagerly watch his friend train. Sasuke was dressed in the standard Konoha Chunnin outfit with the sheath for his mother's sword at his waist. He looked a lot like a younger, more relaxed version of his father, which had caused Ken to call him Chibi-Fugaku when he first saw Sasuke's new outfit. Sasuke had given him a death glare that caused the Yondaime to actually feel a moment of fear before he remembered he could still take down Sasuke without much effort.

"That was freakin' awesome, Sasuke!" cheered the little dragon. Sasuke sighed as the little dragon seemed to enjoy speaking like a teenager and it drove Sasuke crazy. Even though Pyre was ten years old in human years, he was still very young in dragon years. When Sasuke had first summoned him, the little dragon had started doing mid-air cartwheels to celebrate. Then Sasuke found out Pyre could have the attention span of a child when he saw something shiny and dove for it. He was only serious when Sasuke was training him or he was watching the Uchiha boy train.

Haku as examining the block of ice and suddenly started to grin. "Sasuke-kun, oka-san, look at this!" she said before using Korrimizusaiga (Ice Water Fang) to slice the ice block in half vertically. As both halves fell to the ground, Sasuke and Kyuubi stared at the large amount of space that had resulted from the intense heat and electricity of the attack melting and vaporizing the water.

"Well Sasuke, I think it's safe to assume anyone who can survive having that attack penetrate their body is going to take lots of effort to take down," said Kyuubi. The Uchiha boy nodded, though part of his mind could just imagine the look on Itachi's face when he had to face the attack. Kyuubi glanced up as a hawk flew over the clearing and her smile vanished. "Come on, you two, we've got to get to the Hokage's office," she said.

(0o0o0)

Ino leapt backwards to avoid Chouji's giant war hammer as the head of the weapon crashed into the ground. Knowing from past experience that the attack would produce a shockwave, Ino had leapt high into the air and timed her landing to come to rest on the head of the hammer. Before Chouji could recover from his missed attack, Ino charged up the hammer's handle and slammed her knee into her boyfriend's chest, causing him to lose his grip on the hammer and fly backwards. "Baka, we've told you to be more careful with this thing! Big weapons mean lots of power but if they miss they leave you open for a counterattack, especially against someone faster that you!" yelled Ino as she stormed up to Chouji and started shaking him. "If I had been an enemy you would have been dead!" she yelled. Chouji silenced Ino by grabbing her head and pulling her in for a kiss, much to the amusement of Asuma as he watched them. Chouji had been eager to train ever since the mission to rescue Sasuke and using his great grandfather's giant war hammer, Kanaduchi (Iron Hammer), he had turned most of his fat into solid muscle. The boy could now plow through almost anything with his Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank) and his blows while using Baika (Multi-size) no Jutsu on his entire body were strong enough to leave deep craters in the ground.

Ino on the other hand had been working on enhancing her speed and strength. Her mother had continued to train her in the Mokuton (Wood Style) techniques and other plant based attacks. Asuma had surprised her during her training at one point and woken up to find himself covered in wounds from her rose whip as well as several punch marks from a new taijutsu technique Ino had been practicing. Neither one mentioned the incident, but since then Asuma was careful to signal his presence to Ino with a cloud of cigarette smoke or by approaching from in front of her.

On the other side of the field, Shikamaru was training with a pair of trench knives similar to those Asuma used, only these were pure black. Aki had made the blades herself for her cousin, using obsidian to line the edges of the blade for precision cutting. Shikamaru had abandoned his lazy routine to improve himself, he knew something big was coming and refused to let his friends suffer because he slacked off.

Asuma glanced up at the hawk flying over head and said, "Alright team, we've been summoned by the Godaime, let's go!" Ino and Chouji reluctantly broke apart and with Shikamaru muttering his trade mark "Troublesome," the team headed towards the Hokage Tower.

(0o0o0)

Lee skidded backwards from the force of Neji's Jyuuken strike. The Hyuuga genius's blows had grown even more powerful as he learned how to pack lightning chakra into the blows to damage his enemy's nervous system as well as the chakra circulatory system. The gauntlets Aki had made for Neji only made this easier. The Raiju Kougake (Thunder beast Gauntlets) protected Neji from accidentally hurting himself by absorbing any lightning chakra hitting them and making the conversion easier.

Neji was not in perfect shape however. Lee's Garou Tekko (Hungry Wolf Knuckleduster) had allowed him to land several slash attacks on Neji since the Hyuuga Genius had to adjust to the increased range the claws gave the spandex clad boy (Think Wolverine from X-men). Lee had also used his speed to slip inside Neji's guard before the Hyuuga could use a Kaiten to defend himself and as a result Neji had several bruises. Neji blamed his distraction on the thoughts filling his head after overhearing the misleading conversation about the zanbatō.

Gai grinned at the sight of his two students and glanced up as Tenten and Aki entered the clearing. The two girls had been working on a combination jutsu that they refused to show anyone, only Tenten's parents had a slight idea what the two girls were working on and they weren't telling. "Tenten, Aki, I'm so glad you could join us in celebrating our SPRING TIME OF YOUTH!" yelled Gai as he gave them the good guy pose complete with pinging teeth. Both girls flinched at the yell, but stared in shock as a large black wolf tackled Gai to the ground and glared at him from on top of his chest.

"I've told you, don't yell so loud," growled Kurotsume.

"Eehehehe, sorry," muttered Gai. He still had a habit of yelling out loud, even though his somewhat feral girlfriend had started to calm him down. Gai's face turned serious as he saw a hawk fly overhead. "We've been summoned to Hokage-sama's office, let's go!" With that the whole group leapt towards the Hokage tower.

(0o0o0)

Kurenai smiled as she leapt away from one of Sakura's whip strikes. Ever since the Chunnin Exam where she lost to Haku, the pink haired girl had been working to improve her whip technique as well as the number of Genjutsu in her arsenal. "Good Sakura, you've improved a lot!" said Kurenai.

Across the clearing, Shino and Kiba were sparring together as well. Shino was clad in his family's battle armor, Ekuzosukeruton Kacchuu (Exoskeleton Armor and Helmet), which was made from the exoskeletons of ancient insect youkai and thus very strong. Kiba on the other hand wore special gauntlets his father had left for him. The Hyakujuunoou no Tsume (Claws of the King of Beasts) covered each of his fingers with a very sharp metal claw that gave Kiba a slightly longer reach and provided extra protection for his hands while being specially designed not to prevent the usage of hand seals. The constant sound of claws on armor provided a counterpoint to the cracks of Sakura's whip.

"Come on Kiba, is this the best you can do?" asked Shino as he drove his fist into Kiba's stomach to send him flying backwards.

"Shut it bug boy, we're just getting started!" yelled Kiba. "Akamaru!" the white dog was now twice as large thanks to an enhanced diet Kiba's mother had put him on. The canine leapt onto Kiba's back. "Juuijuin Bushin (Beast/Human clone)!" yelled Kiba. Akamaru instantly transformed into a feral Kiba, both of which charged towards Shino. "Gatsuuga (Piercing fang)!" yelled Kiba as the two became spinning cyclones. Shino was prepared for a two pronged frontal assault, but one Kiba zoomed past him and rebounded off a tree to attack him from behind. The variation on Kiba's usual use of the jutsu caught Shino totally by surprise, forcing him right into the second Kiba's attack. Shino was then hit by multiple spinning tornadoes as Kiba and Akamaru bounced him back and forth between one another like a pinball. Shino finally managed to escape by using his bugs as a rope to grab a tree and pull himself away from an attack, throwing Kiba and Akamaru off track and causing them to collide with one another. All three hit the ground hard, Akamaru and Kiba both reverting to normal. Kurenai and Sakura broke off their sparring and rushed to make sure both boys and the dog were okay.

"Baka, we're training, not trying to kill one another!" yelled Sakura and she used a diagnostic jutsu on Kiba. "You're lucky you didn't break any bones or lose an arm at that speed!"

"Hehehe, don't worry, Akamaru and I play rough all the time, something like this won't hurt us," said Kiba with a grin.

"Be that as it may Kiba, you should keep better track of one another when using the jutsu. What if you were fighting Naruto and he used his shadow clones to line you two up for a head on collision? You'd plow right through the clones and hit one another," said Kurenai before she looked up to see a hawk flying over head. "That's all for today, follow me to Hokage-sama's office," she commanded.

(0o0o0)

Akemi glanced up as Naruto and Hinata exited the Uzumaki house and entered the family training ground. The kitsune girl was sparring with Ken, enjoying being able to spend some time with her father. "Ni-san! Hinata-chan! Care to join us?" asked Akemi.

Naruto glanced at Hinata and tilted his head in question. Hinata nodded and the two prepared to join in the spar. Naruto grinned and suddenly charged his father while Hinata slipped into a defensive stance as Akemi charged towards her. Naruto and Ken became a series of golden flashes, appearing together as the attacked one another with taijutsu. Akemi and Hinata were forced to abandon their sparring when two Rasengan collided and sent both girls flying with an explosion of power. Both girls quickly leapt to the trees to avoid being in the way of the father and son spar. The action ground to a halt as Naruto and Ken reappeared. Ken had one of his Hiraishin kunai out and was blocking Nenshousaiga with it. "You've gotten better, Naruto, but you've still got a long way to go," said Ken.

"Heh, someday I'll beat you Otou-san!" said Naruto before the two stepped back. Naruto and Akemi both glanced up a split second before Ken spotted the hawk flying over head.

'So it's finally time,' thought Ken. "All right you three, Tsunade has summoned us!" With that, the four ninja dashed towards Ken's former office.

(0o0o0)

Tsunade stared at the group standing in front of her desk. All of the Konoha 15 were there as well as their sensei, Ken, Kyuubi, Tayuya, and Kudora. "All right, as you know, you've all been training for the past two months in your various elements. The purpose of this intense training was to prepare you for the most dangerous mission many of you have faced yet. Based on information from Tayuya as well as our ANBU spies, we have determined the location of Orochimaru's current base," she said.

"Wait, current base?" asked Naruto.

Tayuya moved towards the map of the elemental countries sitting on Tsunade's desk. "The snake bastard moves his base of operations every other week. I've been to bases in all the minor countries that don't have large villages, but most of the ones he'll come back to are in countries with no ninja village. One of the ones we constantly came back to and the one that appears the oldest is in the former Rice country, the center of Sound country. It's the location of some sort of special long term experiment Orochi-teme has been doing since before he left Konoha. I don't know what it is exactly since only Orochimaru and Kabuto have access to the experiment's location, but it's big and he has to be there now."

"This means we know where he'll be at this time. Forces from Konoha and Suna led by Ken and Jiraiya will be engaging the Oto forces while Tayuya leads the Konoha 15 into the base to rescue Orochimaru's prisoners and obtain any information they can on his plans," explained Tsunade. "Kudora will be accompanying you to act as a secondary medic. Shikamaru is in charge of strategy, but if the group is split in half command falls to Neji followed by either Haku, Naruto, Shino, or Sasuke based on the situation."

"What kind of opposition do you think we'll face?" asked Shikamaru.

"We're not sure. It's likely you'll be facing Genin to Jounin level enemies, plus foes with curse seals like you fought in the mission to rescue Sasuke," said Tsunade. All of the group who had participated in that mission remembered their fights against those fearsome foes, while Tayuya rubbed where her curse seal was bound by Kyuubi's Kyutenshi Fuuin (Nine Natural Elements Seal). "However, most of you are Chunnin level or extremely close to it and working together you can take on low level Jounin."

"What about medical attention?" asked Neji.

"Tsunade-sama and I will be manning a field hospital; if need be you can evacuate to there," said Kyuubi. "We'll be providing you with a special talisman similar to my mate's Hiraishin kunai, only it will bring you to the field hospital when activated."

"Once we break through the outer forces, the Jounin and ANBU will take over and you will evacuate. In the mean time, set traps, sabotage, do anything you can to prevent the enemy from getting reinforcements easily," said Ken.

"Everyone understand their orders??" asked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Then get a good rest, tomorrow begins operation Kuchifusagi (Imposition of Silence)!" declared Tsunade.

(0o0o0)

The next morning found the group ready for battle and following Tayuya as she led the way through the forests of Konoha towards Hidden Sound. A day behind them marched the Konoha forces on a slightly different Eastern path to meet up with the forces from Suna. The two would combine into an army and draw the attention of Orochimaru from the infiltration group. The infiltration group slipped around the border of Sound Country and moved in from the neutral territory between Fire Country and Lightning Country. This was risky, since they could encounter Hidden Cloud shinobi, but luck was on their side and they made it through with no detection. Tayuya led the group through a small mountain range and they made camp in a small valley hidden by a powerful kitsune illusion Akemi and Naruto worked together to create and anchor on a large set of boulders. Tayuya then knelt down to draw the area surrounding them.

"Alright, Orochimaru built this base with only one major way in or out, plus a secret exit to only be used in worse case scenarios. These mountains form a U shape and the ones we're in are the bottom of the U. The Konoha and Suna forces are going to be coming from the top of the U and attacking, so we'll sneak in through the secret entrance located in this cave," she said as she pointed to a small drawing of said cave located in the other valley next to them. "It leads to a bridge over a lava pool that is fed by the magma lake in the next chamber. There are several side chambers that are used to store emergency supplies in case of an evacuation, we'll have to make sure they're clear of guards before we proceed. After that, we have to pass through several chambers before we'll reach the center of the base. The prison for his captives is right below this area. From there we can break into Orochimaru's secret area and figure out what's going, though my knowledge of the layout is useless beyond the prison level."

Shikamaru adapted his thinking position for several minutes and finally nodded to himself. "Alright, here's how we're going in. We'll infiltrate in our original three man teams. Team Kurenai will move in first so Kiba and Shino can search for enemies while Sakura breaks any Genjutsu. After them will be Ino, Chouji and me so I can relay orders based on their findings. Then Team Gai so Neji can cover the whole group with his Byakugan and allow Lee and Tenten to cover the whole group with Lee's speed and her weapons. After them will be team Kunoichi with Haku in the lead to provide medical attention to anyone in the group. In the rear will be Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke. This will give Naruto and Sasuke room to charge up their more devastating techniques and keep Hinata in a position to watch our rear," said the lazy genius. "Kudora will be in the center of the group with Tayuya to provide long range support and cover for Tayuya if she needs it."

Everyone nodded and prepared to wait for the signal to start their mission.

(0o0o0)

Ken glanced at Jiraiya and Kakashi as they surveyed the entrance to Otogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in Sound). A large valley between high mountains was the assault force's only way in and a sure fire bet for an ambush.

"Well, whatever you say about the snake bastard he sure knows how to choose the spot to use the terrain to his advantage," said Ken.

"Hmm, getting there will be troublesome," muttered Shikaku as he mimicked his son's thinking pose.

"I'm guessing he's got a bunch of men ready to summon snakes to keep us busy," said Jiraiya as he lowered his telescope. "I can see several partly hidden summoning seals and hints of nearby camps. As soon as they see our force coming they'll summon the snakes."

"I can take them, I love snake jerky," said Chouji's father Choza as he gripped his bo staff.

"Not so fast my friend, Orochimaru is probably counting on us using summons to beat any he has set as guards, so we'll need more than you and Gamabunta," said Shikaku.

Just then, a three tailed kitsune ran up to the group. "Ken-sama, I bring word from the Kitsune forces. Naruto-sama and his group are in position. Our scouts have also made contact with the tanuki clan and the local Kappa. The Kappa clan is on our side, they say Orochimaru has been polluting the waters that don't flow into his village with his experiments. Xaria-san has also had her forces scouting out the minds of the enemy for the last few days, they have an idea they will be attacked but they aren't sure when," said the fox.

"That makes things easier. Okay… here's how we're going to move in," said the elder Nara.

(0o0o0)

The first warning the Sound forces had of an attack was when a large number of tri-bladed kunai shot through the air and landed in various parts of the valley. The next was that a yellow blur shot around the valley. The third sign was that anyone within arms reach of the blur collapsed with their throats slit or a kunai in their heads. "Alert Orochimaru-sama we're under attack!" yelled a Jounin as he started forming hand seals with his team before they all slammed their hands into the ground. "Kuchiyose (Summoning) no jutsu!" yelled the group before a massive cloud of displaced air was kicked up. All around the valley similar clouds of smoke appeared before massive snakes began to make their way out of the clouds towards the entrance to the valley.

(0o0o0)

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" yelled two voices. Two clouds of smoke billowed up at the entrance of the valley to reveal Gamabunta and another slightly smaller toad dressed in a large feminine yakuza robe. This was Gamabunta's wife, Gamaouhi (Toad Queen).

"So, it seems we get to put an end to these little worms, eh, husband?" asked Gamaouhi.

"I just hope Manda comes out to play so we can settle the score," said the boss toad as he puffed on his pipe.

"Don't worry, oyabin (boss), we'll get the snake," said Ken.

"Hmph, if he survives a fight with you and Ero-Sennin together then neither of you are worthy of summoning us," said Gamabunta.

"Why the hell are you calling me that?" demanded Jiraiya, causing Ken to snicker.

"Because it's true!"

The banter between the Sannin and the boss toad was interrupted as the Kyodaija (Giant Snakes) got within range of the two giant toads. "Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet)!" yelled both men as the two toads both spat out huge streams of oil that Jiraiya and Ken ignited with a Katon jutsu. The twin streams of oil became massive geysers of flame that slammed into the Kyodaija. The snakes had no chance to prepare a counter attack and only the ones farthest from the valley entrance were able to dive underground to avoid the flames. Their summoners also managed to escape, but most of the valley was covered in flames, creating a giant smoke cloud that reached high into the air.

(0o0o0)

Naruto looked up as an orange toad with a blue jacket hopped into the clearing. "So we're ready to go, Gamakichi?" he asked the small toad.

"Yep! Mom and dad are giving the snakes a hard time, so everyone should be focused on the entrance to the valley," reported the little toad.

"Alright, we're going in," said Shikamaru. The group quickly made their way to the next valley where they found the entrance guarded by two nervous Chunnin who were looking at the rising smoke cloud. The two guards didn't even have a chance to react before Shino's bugs engulfed one while Kiba slammed the head of the other guard into the ground. With the guards taken care of, the group entered a tunnel with torches lining the walls every few feet. The tunnel curved down and around, mimicking a snake in movement. As the group moved down deeper into the tunnels it grew hotter until the tunnel opened into a giant cavern. A giant stone statue of a dragon stretched across a wide river of magma and formed a bridge to the high entrance to the next cave. The group made their way along the statue's back to find themselves looking down on the magma lake Tayuya had mentioned. Shino suddenly stopped, causing everyone to come to a halt. "What's wrong?" asked Kiba.

"My bugs are uneasy, they sense something, but they aren't sure what…" muttered the bug user. When nothing appeared, the group started making their way across the lake by way of the stone islands scattered through out it. As team eight reached the last island, a loud buzzing caused the whole group to freeze before a swarm of youkai insects swooped in and grabbed Shino, Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakura before flying across the magma to a high up cave nobody had noticed. "Go!" yelled Shino.

"You heard him, move!" ordered Shikamaru. The group rushed to the chamber exit, though a few of the youkai insects turned around to attack them and were repelled by a barrage of fox fire blasts from Naruto and Akemi. As soon as Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were safely through the door, a huge stone slab crashed down, sealing the way back out.

(0o0o0)

The youkai insects brought team eight to a large chamber that was obviously a nest for the insects and dropped their captives in the middle of the nest. "Aw hell, I don't want to be bug food!" yelled Kiba.

"Oh, they won't eat you… yet," said a new voice. The three humans and one dog looked up to see a creepy looking figure sitting on a slightly raised platform. As the figure moved forward, everyone gasped as they saw the head of a giant fly on top of a humanoid body. But the body wasn't human either, it looked like a beetle body with tough armor and an extra set of arms.

"I am Ekirei (Pestilence), the four of your will make wonderful food for my children!" declared the man as the buzzing of the demonic insects grew louder.

(0o0o0)

"Shit, we're going to have to get them on our way back!" muttered Shikamaru as the team found themselves in a long narrow corridor lined with more torches. As they neared the end of the corridor where it doubled back out of sight, a faint rumbling caught the ears of Naruto, Akemi, and Kudora. Everyone was caught by surprise as a part of the wall suddenly pushed Team ten into a suddenly revealed side chamber that closed just as quickly.

Tayuya suddenly found Nenshousaiga poking into her back as Naruto said, "Tayuya-ne-chan… I really hope you haven't been playing us for fools all this time and are leading us into a trap."

Tayuya kept her arms out where everyone could see them and slowly turned to face Naruto and the rest of the group.

(0o0o0)

Team ten had been pushed into a short stone slide that carried them to a new room and spilled them out in a heap on the ground in the dark. "Ugh, what happened?" demanded Chouji as he regained his bearing and found a slightly disoriented Shikamaru and Ino on top of him.

"We got caught by a trap, it seems this way isn't as guarded as Tayuya thinks," muttered Shikamaru as he helped Ino to her feet and they both pulled Chouji up.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe, you three look tasty, I haven't had such a tasty looking meal in a long time," said a creepy voice. Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru instantly went back to back while drawing kunai. The sound of steps coming towards them alerted to their enemy's location, but all three started to tremble as they realized this enemy was big since the footsteps sounded just like those made by Chouji's father. A series of lights snapped on and the team got their first glimpse of their opponent. He was a big man like his footsteps suggested, unusually pale like he hadn't been out in the sun for a long time, and had a metal jaw with sharp teeth. At first they thought the simple pants and shirt he wore were dark brown, then they realized they were the color of dried blood. "Hello little morsels, I'm Kikin (Famine) and I shall enjoy feasting on you tonight!" declared the man.

(0o0o0)

As Tayuya faced the group of Genin and Chunnin she looked at the faces of her friends and family. Akemi had big tears in her eyes at the thought of the older red head betraying them, while Haku looked extremely sad. Kudora, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were stony faced, but it was the look on Naruto and Sasuke's faces that hurt her the most. Both boys were fighting back tears and Tayuya suddenly realized why. 'Years ago… Itachi killed the rest of his clan and took away Sasuke's family and Naruto's second family. Sasuke, Haku-chan, and Akemi-imotou-chan have all lost their parents just like me… and they think I've betrayed them.' Tayuya's eyes started to tear up as she said, "I have nothing that can convince you… I had no idea this way would be guarded so much or that there were traps in an evacuation tunnel."

Kudora suddenly stepped forward, miko powers glowing at her hand. She rested her hand above Tayuya's heart and said, "Kokoronookusoko (innermost depths of one's heart)!" as she closed her eyes. Tayuya could feel Kudora's miko powers passing through her and then leaving her before the tiger girl opened her eyes. "That techniques allows me to see into the depths of a person's heart. I can sense no evil intent in Tayuya's heart and only a desire to put an end to Orochimaru's evil," said the miko.

Tayuya was immediately glomped by Akemi, who was crying about how she knew her big sister hadn't betrayed them. Naruto sheathed Nenshousaiga and smiled before glancing at Neji. The Hyuuga genius nodded and said, "We have to keep moving! If we delay too long we'll be swarmed by enemies!" The group ran down the tunnel and came to what looked like a small factory that clearly puzzled Tayuya. As they passed through the middle of the area, the wall suddenly exploded as a giant metal hand shot through the wall and towards the group and grabbed Tenten before she could react and then shot back into the darkness. Neji and Lee immediately ran after their captured team mate with Neji yelling, "Go!" just before the wall started to collapse, trapping them with whatever had Tenten.

"Shit, we're losing teams one by one!" muttered Naruto.

"We have to keep going, we were assigned a mission! This is just like when we went after Sasuke!" said Aki, even though part of her longed to go help Neji. The group hurried towards a metal door that groaned open as they approached.

(0o0o0)

Neji and Lee were horrified to find Tenten caught in the grip of a giant of a man. This man was covered in metal parts, looking more like a machine than a human. "Oi, metal head, let her go!" yelled Lee before he charged the monstrosity.

"As you wish!" muttered the metal clad man before he threw Tenten at Lee, who caught her and leapt back to get some room.

"Be careful, his armor contains an artificial chakra network," said Neji as he stared at their foe.

"Correct, this chakra armor allows me to nullify most attacks on myself," said the man. "I am Sensou (War) and I shall be your executioner!"

(0o0o0)

"Everyone be on your guard," said Haku as they dashed through the halls. Electrical lights now lit the way, showing they were close to the main part of Orochimaru's lair. Team kunoichi was leading the group with Tayuya and Kudora coming next and followed by Team seven. The whole group suddenly skidded to a stop as they entered a room covered with the several giant skeletons embedded in the walls and numerous graves lining a path through the room.

"I don't remember this," whispered Tayuya as she took in the giant remains.

"Orochimaru-sama redecorated since the last time you were here," said a new voice as a sickenly pale figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a fairly tall man dressed in what looked like bone armor. "When our scouts couldn't find your body, Orochimaru-sama figured you had been captured and would be interrogated to reveal his plans as well as the location of his lairs. He certainly never expected to find that bitch had taken you in…" the figure got no further before an enraged Tayuya drove her fist into his stomach, sending him crashing backwards. He then barely managed to roll aside from Naruto as the fox boy plummeted down towards the ground attempting to impale him. Haku and Akemi hurled senbon and shuriken at the sound nin, only to have him block the projectiles with a giant scythe he pulled out from behind one of the grave stones.

"Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, go, we've got this guy!" declared Haku as she drew Korrimizusaiga. Akemi had already prepped her Tetsugan (Iron String), and Aki had pulled out a wakizashi with an obsidian blade.

"Okay, just be careful!" yelled Naruto before team seven, Kudora, and Tayuya ran towards the exit of the room.

"I don't think so!" yelled the Sound nin before he hurled his scythe at the running group. However, Haku slammed her hand down on the ground to cause a wall of ice to shoot up and deflect the attack.

"Hmmmm, you three might prove some entertainment. After I've beaten all of you I'm sure I can find something even more fun for us to do," said the Sound nin with a leer. Akemi responded in true Uzumaki fashion by flipping the pale man the finger. By this time team seven, Kudora, and Tayuya had made it out of the chamber and were on their way deeper into the base.

"You would be wise not to underestimate us just because we're girls," warned Aki.

"And you should beware, for you dance with Kisei (Death)!" replied the sound nin before he charged the three kunoichi with his massive scythe.

(0o0o0)

"We're almost at the prison and area where the Hebi-teme keeps his experiments," said Tayuya. The redhead had lead team seven and Kudora through several twisting corridors and secret passages. "I should warn you all that you will see things in there that will haunt your dreams for life. The curse seal kept it blocked out for me, but now that it's powerless I can remember everything." The group glanced at one another in concern but kept going until they reached a large underground arena with cages lining every part of it. The smell of death and blood lingering everywhere almost caused Naruto, Kudora, and Gishou to faint. As they reached the first cell, Hinata gasped in horror when she saw a small girl huddled in the corner of the small room. She was covered in bruises and rags and seemed utterly dejected. Tayuya's eyes widened as she saw the girl and she gasped, "Shinja(Sacred Snake)-chan???" causing the girl's head to jerk up. Upon seeing Tayuya, she scrambled to the door of her cell and stared at Tayuya with tears coming from her eyes.

"Otou-san said you were dead!" she whispered. "Then he told me I needed to grow stronger and has been forcing me to fight every day for the last two months!"

"Well I'm not, and I can't believe he would do this to you!" exclaimed Tayuya as she hugged the little girl through the bars of the door.

"Tayuya-nee-chan, who is she?" asked Naruto.

"This is Shinja-chan, the only person I would trust with my life in Otogakure," said Tayuya. "Shinja-chan, these are my new family, they're here to help free everyone here and bring you back to Konoha."

"Who is her Otou-san?" asked Hinata, horrified a father would do something like this to his own child.

"Orochimaru," said Tayuya. "She's probably the only good thing to come of his experiments, she has such a pure soul that not even he can corrupt her or place a curse seal on her. She was meant to be impregnated by Sasuke to produce a perfect body for Orochimaru's next host and breed a future line of warriors totally devoted to him, but as you can see she is still too young to have children, hence why when the plan to get Sasuke here failed she was placed in this hell hole."

"Alright, stand back Shinja-chan!" said Naruto as he raised his hand to grab Nenshousaiga's hilt. As Shinja backed up to the far side of the cell, Naruto swung Nenshousaiga with a cry of, "Zantetsu (Metal Slash)!" and sliced all the bars of the cage. The gasps from those prisoners who had been watching were the only sounds before the severed bars fell to the ground. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" said Naruto as he created a clone for each cell and sent them to free the other prisoners. There were about fifty prisoners in all, ranging from all ages and genders, with at least one from each hidden village. Some had to be carried out of their cells by the clones. Many of them showed signs of medical experimentation, but none more than Shinja. She had flesh colored scale skin instead of normal human skin, though it was warm to the touch and not obvious unless you were really close, small snake fangs, a forked tongue that constantly tasted the air, and the same hair and golden eyes as Orochimaru. However, Shinja's eyes were soft and gentle unlike the cold reptilian eyes of her father.

"All right, let's get these people out of here and help our friends!" said Naruto as he started to lead the way back they had come, only to stop as the sound of chuckling came from the tunnel.

"Well, well, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Hinata-chan, this is a surprise. I would have thought you would have stopped to help your friends," said Kabuto as he walked out of the escape tunnel towards the group. "And Tayuya, how nice to see you again, we missed you." The newest Uzumaki girl gave him a one fingered salute with both hands. "Since we're having so many reunions, how about a family one??? Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection)!" yelled Kabuto as he slammed both hands into the ground, causing two coffins to rise up that had the Uchiha crest on them. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as the coffin lids fell away to reveal his parents.

"Oka-san, Otou-san," he whispered as the bodies of his parents walked out of their coffins. Both were dressed in their uniforms, Fugaku as the chief of the Military Police and Mikoto in her ANBU armor with her wolf mask at her hip. Sasuke was relieved he had her sword, he knew if she had that she could kill all of them before they could blink.

"Kabuto-san… why are you doing this?" whispered Shinja.

"These people seek to stop Orochimaru-sama's ambition… I will not allow that," said the silver haired medic.

"Sasuke… you've grown up…" said Mikoto with tears in her eyes.

"You've made us proud, just as I expect of my son," said Fugaku.

"Now it's time for the true reunion," said Kabuto as he prepared to drive two kunai with special tags into the backs of Sasuke's parents. Sasuke suddenly lunged forward, trying desperately to grab the kunai. He managed to get one out of Kabuto's grip, but the other plunged into Fugaku's back and his eyes became blank before his Sharingan activated.

"YOU BASTARD!" yelled Sasuke before he drove his foot into Kabuto's stomach, sending him crashing backwards. The now zombie Fugaku backhanded Sasuke away from Kabuto, striding forward to kill the boy. Fugaku's Sharingan never left Sasuke, paralyzing the younger Uchiha with his hypnotic gaze even as Fugaku, ducked under Naruto's axe kick and sent the fox boy flying into Hinata. Kudora was quickly leading the prisoners out of the arena with Tayuya covering her, but neither of them could move fast enough to save Sasuke as Fugaku's fist was covered in flames and he lunged forward to ram his blazing fist through Sasuke's chest. However, a black blur intercepted the blow and Sasuke could only stare in shock as Mikoto took the blow meant for him and wrapped her arms around Fugaku to hold him in place.

"Sasuke, finish him off!" yelled Mikoto as she struggled to keep her possessed husband from killing her son.

With tears in his eyes, Sasuke quickly formed the seals for his new Raiton jutsu. "Raigekidan (Thunder Attack Bullet)!" yelled Sasuke before he launched a giant ball of electricity at his parents that reduced them to ash.

Kabuto cursed as his minions were destroyed so easily and beat a hasty retreat through a secret passage to warn Orochimaru. Naruto rested a hand on Sasuke's shoulder as the Uchiha boy stared at his mother's mask, the only thing that survived the attack since it was a ceramic mask. Both boys looked up as they heard Tayuya's flute start to play, a sweet sound that brought to mind mothers tucking in their children, cooking in the kitchen, and singing lullabies to put them to sleep. A bright light appeared above the ashes of Fugaku and Mikoto, causing everyone to stare in shock as it slowly formed into Mikoto, who looked very confused, especially since she clearly remembered being incinerated by Sasuke's last jutsu.

"Nakihaha saisei (Dead Mother Rebirth), a technique used by my clan to bring back a mother who has just died saving their child, usually in birth or natural disasters," said Tayuya softly as she lowered her flute.

"I'm alive?" gasped Mikoto. The next thing she knew Sasuke had his arms around her and was crying tears of joy. "My son," she whispered before tears started leaking out of her eyes. Mikoto then embraced Tayuya. "Thank you, you've made my greatest wish come true," she said to the red head.

"Mikoto-san, can you help Nee-chan and Kudora-chan escort these people out of here? We have to go after Kabuto," said Naruto.

"Of course I will Naruto, just be careful," said Mikoto before she joined Tayuya and Kudora in escorting the former prisoners. Those that couldn't walk were being carried by tigers summoned by Kudora as well as the wolves Mikoto summoned. The wolves were overjoyed to see their mistress again and happy to help.

"Come on, we've got to catch that bastard!" said Naruto as he lead his team down the corridor Kabuto had taken. The three ran after the silver haired medic, Naruto's nose allowing them to keep move at high speeds and stay on the right track while Hinata's Byakugan would warn them of any traps. They finally reached a new room that had a single building blocking their way. It looked a lot like a dojo to the trio and they entered it carefully. Scrolls bearing the words _The Strong Live and the Weak Die_ lined the walls as well as scrolls bearing paintings of fire that seemed to move while a single figure waited at the other side of the building, guarding the only way forward. Large lanterns in each corner of the building illuminated the room, but cast no light onto the waiting figure.

"Three children? These are the ones that had Kabuto so scared?" said the figure as he stepped into the light to reveal a man whose whole body was covered in bandages and wearing a blue yukata with one arm hanging free.

"We may look young to you, but we've seen our share of battles to the death!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Such spirit. Maybe the three of you can give Makoto Shishio a good fight," said the man as the lanterns in the corners of the building flared up.

**I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter, I've been dealing with college and working more hours during the weekends. Please don't just beg me to update, I take my time to give you readers the best I can offer. Next chapter will be crammed full of fights, including the climactic battle for this story!**


	26. Tail 25: Battle in the Sound

**Roar of the Dragon: This chapter was hard to write. I had no reference and had to make everything up. In other news, I'm sorry to say this is the second to last chapter of this story. One more chapter after this and then I'll start working on Hanyou Trials.  
**

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail._

**_Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle and the climactic battle of chapter 34 (listed as chapter 35 in the story because she wrote a bonus oneshot before it)!_**

_**Also check out Ricchan's fic Konoha High on this site, it can be found in my favorites list!**_

**_Fic promotion: Ryuuhoshi by Tsunami227. It's pretty good, I suggest you guys give it a read and leave a review_**!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission.**

_**Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String.**_

Jiraiya smirked as Gamabunta sliced a Kyodaija (Giant Snake) in two. The arrival of several seven tailed foxes and Shukaku with the sand siblings riding on his back turned the tide against the Sound forces. The giant snakes lay defeated, either sliced to pieces or burned by Katon jutsu or Foxfire. "Everything is clear here, Ken, let's go hunt a snake!" said the white haired man to his apprentice. Ken nodded and the two leapt off the giant toads, where they were joined by Gaara and his siblings. With the rest of the Konoha and Suna forces leaving a detachment to guard their exit, the two village armies marched into the lair of their mutual foe.

(0o0o0)

"Goddamn it, I thought I was used to bugs working with you, Shino, but this is disgusting!" yelled Kiba as he slashed one of the giant youkai beetles that was trying to eat Akamaru from behind while the dog ripped the throat out of another.

"I don't blame you, these things are abominations and I don't mind killing them," said Shino as he used a kunai to pierce the soft underbelly of one of the giant beetles after it knocked him down onto his back and attempted to bite his throat. Sakura was using her superb chakra control to punch right through the insects' tough exoskeleton when they got too close and lashing out with her whip to keep them away from her. Luckily, Ekirei seemed content to let his insect minions do the fighting for him. The hard part was that there were so many of them. Every time the team would kill one, another would burrow up from under ground, forcing the team to keep their attention everywhere at once.

Kiba finally managed to get enough time to slip Akamaru a soldier pill, signaling for their usual double attack. A quick Jūjin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone) followed by a yell of, "Gatsūga (Double Piercing Fang)!" heralded the arrival of two mini tornadoes that sliced through the youkai insects like shuriken through paper targets. Kiba and Akamaru's attack gave Shino and Sakura the openings they needed to attack Ekirei. Sakura's whip snapped out to bind the bug master's arms, while Shino turned both his hands into giant bug stingers with Kikai Suteinga (Bug stinger). As the two stingers neared Ekirei, silk seemed to surround the sound nin, covering him in a protective cocoon. Shino's hidden eyes widened as his stingers failed to penetrate the silk.

"Hehehehehehe, my Mayu Tate (Cocoon shield) is invincible!" cackled Ekirei. Kiba and Akamaru oriented on his voice and slammed into the cocoon, only to find they could barely make a cut in it.

"Kuso, Akamaru, keep the bugs off us!" yelled Kiba as he dropped to the ground and began focusing his chakra. Akamaru continued to bounce around the room shredding bugs, while Shino and Sakura kept the bugs off Kiba. "Shippuga (Hurricane Fang)!" roared Kiba as he leapt into the air and performed a Tsūga (Piercing Fang) with his wind chakra. The wind chakra sharpened the already lethal Tsūga into an even more deadly drill that sliced through anything in its way. Kiba's attack sliced deep into the cocoon, causing Ekirei to scream in pain before the dog user came back for another pass. However, something burst out of the cocoon just before Kiba reached it.

"Hahahaha, my Kasai (metamorphosis) is complete!" yelled Ekirei. He looked even more demonic than before, with his head now resembling a spider's with eight eyes and fangs, a fairly normal human upper body with insect armor, giant praying mantis arms, and the lower body of a spider with eight strong legs.

"I hate curse seals," groaned Kiba as he detected the same scent Sakon and Ukon had when their curse seals were activated. The group was forced to leap away as Ekirei brought his scythe like arm down, cracking the ground where they had been and showing his new weapons could slice through solid rock.

Shino skidded to a stop and rapidly formed hand seals before slamming his hands into the ground with a whispered, "Doton: Mimizu (Earth Style: Ground Beetle)!" A giant beetle made of stone with razor sharp pinchers shot up to stab Ekirei in his underbelly. The bug monster screamed in pain and slashed Shino in half, only to see him explode into a swarm of bugs and realized he'd slashed a Mushi Bunshin (Bug Clone) instead of the real Shino.

Sakura had taken the opportunity to run up one of the chamber walls and got above Ekirei. Now she dropped from the ceiling and brought her foot down with a cry of, "Tsūtenkyaku (Painful Sky Leg)!" while at the same time driving a hammer blow into Ekirei's neck. The bug man let out a screech of pain before swatting Sakura off and right into Kiba's arms as he leapt up to catch her.

"What did you do to me?" demanded Ekirei as he found his limbs would not respond the way he wanted them to (And he has ten of them, two arms and eight legs, so that's a lot).

"I attacked your nervous system. I wasn't sure if Ranshinshō (Important Body Points Disturbance) would work since you seem more insect than human, but I'm glad it did. Let's get him!" yelled Sakura. The three Konoha ninja leapt towards their foe, only to be bashed aside by some of his youkai insects that knocked the tired Akamaru down and caused him to revert to normal.

"Damnit, I'm taking him down now!" yelled Kiba as he slipped Akamaru another soldier pill. The little dog once again turned red and growled at Ekirei. "Alright, Akamaru, Dainamikku Mākingu (Dynamic Air Marking)!" yelled Kiba. Akamaru promptly leapt into the air and rained urine down on Ekirei.

"Argh, my eyes!" screamed the youkai insect user.

"Alright, let's go Akamaru!" yelled Kiba as he leapt into the air to meet his partner. "Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō (Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf)!" yelled the dog user as the duo was hidden by a smoke cloud. Shino and Sakura leapt back as giant paws shot out of the smoke to shred the remaining youkai insects before Kiba and Akamaru's giant two headed wolf form was revealed. Kibamaru leapt into the air and became a terrifying twister that tore into Ekirei. Unlike Sakon and Ukon, Ekirei had no ultimate defense to save him and his torso was torn off at the first blow. The rest of his body was shredded as Kibamaru blasted through it and hit the wall, revealing a way back to the lava lake where the team had been ambushed. The two separated out of their giant form to preserve chakra, joining Shino and Sakura as they approached Ekirei's bleeding upper body.

"You've lost, give up," said Shino as the bugs started to exit his body. Ekirei's eyes widened at the sight of Shino's insect allies and he feebly tried to crawl away from the Aburame heir.

"No, stay away!" yelled the sound nin.

"Kikaichu Yajiri (Destruction Bug Swarm)!" said Shino as he released a swarm of his Kikaichu to drain the last of Ekirei's chakra before crushing him. The three human and one dog members of team Kurenai hurriedly left the room, only to find they could not jump to the bridge they had been crossing due to a large gap.

"Leave this to me," said Shino as he pressed his palms to the ground after forming a few seals. "Doton: Fujoushikitetsudou (Earth Style: Levitated Transportation System)!" the edge of the area where they were standing broke off and slowly floated through the air to a point all three ninja and Akamaru could make the jump to safety.

"Alright, let's secure the exit for the rest of the group's return," said Sakura. Her teammates nodded and they hurried to cross the stone dragon and make sure their group's means of escape was not compromised.

(0o0o0)

"Ken-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi, go on and help the kids, we've got this under control!" yelled Rin as she used her mother's fan to blow half a dozen Sound nin away. The Konoha and Suna forces had finally been engaged by enemy ninja, many of whom fell before the power of two of the great shinobi nations. Some managed to survive their first encounter and counter attack, but the majority was in a panic due to a lack of authority. By the time some of the Jounin managed to rally their forces, the invaders would have a permanent beachhead in the lair and were keeping anyone from escaping.

Kakashi blocked a katana with his kunai and easily slit the throat of the sound nin attacking him before saying, "Eh, you sure, Rin?"

"YOSH! WE HAVE THINGS COVERED HERE, MY ETERNAL RIVAL, GO AND PUT YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH TO USE ELSEWHERE!" yelled Gai, actually sounding normal because of the distance between the two and the noise filling the air. Jiraiya finished using a Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld) to trap a group of Sound ninja and surveyed the battle raging around him.

"They're right, we need to go find those kids!" said the Toad Sennin.

Kakashi nodded and rapidly formed a string of hand seals before slamming his hand on the ground with a cry of, "Kuchiyose (summoning) no Jutsu!" Kakashi's pack of Ninken (ninja dogs) appeared, awaiting their master's orders. "We're after Orochimaru and Kabuto, follow the scent of snake!" the dogs scattered, howls were soon heard that guided the Sannin, Hokage, and Jounin towards their prey. None of them noticed an eyeball made of sand following them.

(0o0o0)

"This guy managed to do the impossible, he made me lose my appetite," muttered Chouji as he stared at Kikin (Famine).

"Well, what kind of person would delight in eating people aside from a psycho?" asked Ino.

"Hmm, should I eat the meaty one, the lean one, or the soft one first?" muttered Kikin as he surveyed the group while pulling a giant meat cleaver from behind his back.

"As if this wasn't troublesome enough already," muttered Shikamaru as he eyed the blood stained blade.

"Gyuutou (Meat Cleaver), tell me which one I should devour first?" Kikin asked his giant blade. Team ten was relieved the cleaver didn't reply, but Kikin looked up with a hungry gleam in his eye before charging Chouji. "I'm going to chop you up!" he exclaimed with sadistic glee.

"Yeah, right!" yelled Chouji as he pulled Kanaduchi (Iron Hammer) from its place on his back. The Akimichi heir slammed the war hammer down in an overhead blow just in front of Kikin, causing the cannibal to skid to a stop.

"Hehe, you'll have to do better than that, little morsel," Kikin started to taunt, only to see Chouji use the grounded hammer as a pivot that, combined with the inertia of his swing, allowed him to fly into the air.

"Nikudan Sensha (Meat Tank)!" yelled Choji as he instantly performed the Baika (Multi-size) no Jutsu in mid air before crashing into Kikin as a ball of spinning Akimichi wrath. The cannibal was sent flying into the wall of the room and climbed to his feet to find Ino aiming her hands at him.

"Shintenshin (Mind Body Switch) no Jutsu!" yelled Ino as she entered the stunned cannibal in an attempt to have him knock himself out by charging head first into Chouji's war hammer as the Akimichi boy grabbed it up and started spinning it around his body to build up force. However, that plan was forgotten as Ino found herself in a scene out of a horror movie with Kikin looming over her. The blond girl instantly canceled the technique and returned to her own body where she shivered in disgust. "His mind is totally warped, I couldn't even think of manipulating it. I don't think Shinranshin (Mind Body Disturbance) no Jutsu could control him. We'll have to take him down quick!"

"Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru as he formed the rat hand seal. A thin thread of his shadow connected to the darkness of the room and suddenly Kikin found himself unable to move as ropes of shadow came out of the darkness to grab him. "Kage Nui (Shadow Sewing)!" muttered Shikamaru. One of the thicker ropes sprouted a shadow hand at the end and moved towards Kikin's neck. "Kage Kubi Shibari (Shadow Neck Bind)!" said Shikamaru as the hand reach the cannibal's neck. However, Kikin's neck proved to be covered in fat and Shikamaru scowled as he found his shadow couldn't get a good grip to strangle the enemy. "I can't hold him!" grunted Shikamaru.

"Mokuton: Moku Jōheki (Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall)!" yelled Ino as she slammed her hands into the ground, glad the room's floor was bare earth and not covered. Bands of wood erupted out of the ground to bind Kikin's body in place, keeping him from moving and allowing Shikamaru to release the Kage Kubi Shibari and Kage Nui. Team Asuma leapt back to regroup, only to freeze as Kikin's metal jaws started chewing through the wood prison.

"Hehehehehe, crunchy, now I've had my fiber for the day," said the cannibal before he bit the wood holding his limbs in place. Chouji immediately leapt into the air and brought his war hammer down on Kikin's head.

"Shokkuueibu (Shockwave)!" yelled Chouji as the war hammer smashed into the cannibal's metal jaw. The metal teeth started to crack from the force of the blow and left Kikin stunned due to the force of the blow.

Ino immediately charged the Sound nin while pulling a small rose from its hiding place inside her hair. With a flick of her wrist the rose grew into a thorned whip. "Kagon Retsuzanshi (Elegant, Harsh Limb-Severing Attack)!" yelled Ino as she lashed out with her whip so fast it was a blur. As Ino leapt back from Kikin, there was a wet splat as his arms fell to the ground. Ino's face was a big green, but she managed to keep from barfing at the results of her attack.

"You'd better be careful you don't say the wrong thing after you two get married or she'll slice of another precious limb to you," Shikamaru muttered the Chouji, who winced at the thought of losing all that made him a man.

"I heard that," muttered Ino, causing both boys' faces to pale. "Let's finish this off, I want to get back to the others!"

Kikin had been staring at his severed arms for a second before letting out a scream of rage and charging Ino in an attempt to bite her head off. However, his face met Chouji's giant fist as the Akimichi boy yelled, "Bubun Baika (Partial Multi-Size) no Jutsu!" to enlarge his fist and send the cannibal staggering backwards. Kikin fell on his back and found out that not having any arms makes it hard to get back onto your feet.

Shikamaru slapped several explosive notes on Kikin's body where he couldn't reach them with his head. "Tsumi (checkmate)!" declared the shadow user. "Now, let's get out of here!"

"Leave that to me! Doton: Shoukouda (Earth Style: Elevator) no Jutsu!" declared Chouji as he stomped the ground, causing a ledge of earth big enough for the team to stand on to rise out of the ground at the base of the slide that had brought them into the room. "Going up!" declared Chouji as he focused his chakra and started moving the rock slab up the slope. As the slab sealed off the room they just exited, the explosive notes went off, ending the danger of Kikin.

(0o0o0)

"Konoha is really stupid if they send such puny insects into Orochimaru's lair. We'll crush you!" yelled Sensou (War). The armor clad giant suddenly sprouted massive circular saw blades from his shoulders. Neji's Byakugan, however, revealed a strange device on Sensou's back that contained a launching mechanism for the blades. The only warning the group had was that the blades started to spin before they were launched into the air towards them.

"MOVE!" yelled Neji as the team scattered. All five blades cut into the ground, leaving deep marks when Sensou used chakra strings to pull them back to the launcher.

Lee charged Sensou and leapt into the air with a cry of, "Konoha Daisenpūkyaku (Leaf Great Whirlwind Kicks)!" before spinning in mid air like a top. The force of the wolf boy's kicks sent Sensou crashing back into the wall in a cloud of dust.

Neji stared through the dust and suddenly cursed before grabbing Tenten as he dove to the side of a giant mace shooting out of the smoke. Lee had already moved out of the way and quickly leapt up to sever the chain, only to find his Garou Tekko (Hungry Wolf Knuckleduster) bounced right off the chakra reinforced chain. As the chain reeled the heavy mace back in, Lee actually landed on the mace for a split second before using its momentum to launch himself at Sensou. The armor clad giant simply smacked Lee away, sending him crashing head first into the cavern wall. However, a swarm of kunai shot through the air. Sensou covered his head with the giant mace and smirked as he heard the barrage stop and removed the mace to smirk at Tenten. "Give it up, nothing can penetrate my armor!" he declared.

"We'll see about that!" yelled Neji as he charged Sensou with crackling palms. "Raijingeki (Thunder God Attack)!" yelled the Hyuuga genius as he weaved beneath Sensou's punch to drive his palms into the giant's side, causing electricity to envelop Sensou. Neji leapt back quickly, not wanting to be caught by a random flailing fist as the electricity from his attack overloaded Sensou's nervous system. However, he was shocked to see the giant unharmed while the electricity arched around his armor before fading.

"Hehehe, my chakra armor can stand up to any ninjutsu!" taunted Sensou. "And your wimpy taijutsu is not enough to shatter it! I was made specifically to fight against your white eyed clan and decimate them!"

"Hmmm, maybe the taijutsu of an average shinobi would be too little to affect you, but how about someone who has devoted themselves entirely to Taijutsu?" asked Lee. The wolf boy formed the ram seal before yelling "Initial Gate: Kai!" before he charged forward and delivered his classic upward kick to Sensou's chin. But this time Lee's leg was surrounded by a bright green chakra. This was the pure chakra of the earth, which Lee had learned to channel through his body to strengthen his taijutsu. To Sensou, Lee's kick was comparable to being hit with a battering ram. But Sensou's heavy armor kept him from being lifted into the air, to which Lee just smirked before turning into a black and green blur that bounced around the room rapidly hammering blows all over Sensou's body. Lee was forced to abort his attack as spikes sprouted from Sensou's armor that would have skewered him if he had continued the assault. The Konoha shinobi were frustrated to see no sign of Lee's blows having any effect aside from a small crack in the armor in the lower right area of Sensou's chest. 'If I can hit him there, but I'll only have one shot…' thought Lee. "Tenten, can you distract him for a few seconds?" demanded the wolf boy. When Tenten nodded, Lee grinned. "Good, then I'll take care of that armor of his!"

Tenten removed a black scroll from her supply pouch, biting her thumb and swiping blood over the seal holding it closed. As the seal started to fade, Tenten tossed the scroll above Sensou, where is burst into smoke and released the Zanbatō she had been examining with Aki back in Konoha. Tenten leapt up to grab the massive sword's handle and used her momentum to swing the giant blade down to chop Sensou in half with a yell of, "Rakukojin (Falling Steel Blade)!"

The giant mace on Sensou's arm became a giant tetsubo (giant club used by oni) to block the blow, but he was surprised when Tenten's giant sword managed to cut into his defense. Sensou suddenly realized he had made a big mistake by taking his eyes off Lee and Neji as Lee blurred towards him with a fist raised. The wolf boy drove his fist into the place he had caused a crack earlier with a yell of, "Futae ino Kiwami (Mastery of the Two Layers)!" There was a moment of silence where Neji and Tenten felt despair before a loud crack was heard and Sensou's armor shattered around him. Lee leapt clear of the stunned giant as Neji, seeing his chance, ran forward.

"Zesshō Hachimon Hougeki (Eight Gates Bombardment)!" yelled the Hyuuga before leapt up into the air to strike Sensou's head twice followed by five strikes down his chest in a line. Neji's last blow was towards Sensou's heart, only to have the hand not blocking Tenten's attack smash into him and send him crashing into the wall of the room with a look of horror on his face. Sensou's face had become red while the pupils of his eyes had vanished, just like when Lee opened three gates.

"Neji… what the hell did you do to him?" yelled Tenten after she landed and stalked towards Neji while raising the zanbatō above her head.

"I attacked the eight gates on him to make him use up all his chakra and die, but I missed the death gate!" yelled the Hyuuga boy.

"Neji… for a Hyuuga genius you can be a real idiot some times," muttered Tenten as her rage induced strength faded and she was forced to dismiss the Zanbatō.

"Umm…. Big metal giant, hello???" yelled Lee as he blocked an overhead blow from Sensou's normal hand. Only now the hand appeared to be made of metal. That, combined with Sensou's face no longer being obscured by metal, caused Neji to realize something.

"Now I recognize him, Naruto fought and cut this guy in half on that mission we went on after Tsunade-sama took office! He can change his skin into metal!" exclaimed Neji.

"Hehehehehehehehe, that's right! Orochimaru-sama used his powers to repair me and make me stronger! Nothing can penetrate my metal hide anymore!" declared Sensou.

"I would have loved to know that before I started attacking him to try to keep him from crushing your head like a ripe fruit," muttered Lee as he glanced as his newly bruised hands.

"Well, if he isn't wearing his stupid armor, let's kick his ass!" yelled Tenten as she pulled out some kunai and shuriken.

"Yosh, our flames of youth are revitalized!" yelled Lee before he had to avoid Sensou's fist.

"I think we might not have an easy victory," said Neji as Sensou suddenly pulled back his fist before gathering chakra around it. When Sensou drove his fist into the ground team Gai found themselves knocked down from the force of the blow.

"Sōgu: Shū Senjin (Weapon: Thousand Sword Array)!" yelled Tenten as she whipped out a pair of scrolls. Instead of the many various weapons that she summoned with Sōshōryū (Twin Rising Dragons), the bun haired girl summoned hundreds of kunai. The knives bounced off Sensou's metallic body, only to be grabbed by Tenten's chakra strings and flung at him with a coating of chakra to make them sharper. This time the blades dug into Sensou's metal skin, though not enough to really hurt them, but they were stuck and would slow him down a little.

Neji gathered electric chakra around his hands as he sank down into the Jyuuken offensive stance. "Raiton: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Lightning Style: Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" yelled Neji before he darted forward, his hands lashing out to land two blows on Sensou's chest. "Two Hakke! Four Hakke! Eight Hakke! Sixteen Hakke! Thirty Two Hakke! Sixty four Hakke!" With each blow, electrical chakra was introduced to a perfect conductor in Sensou's metal skin. The giant jerked from the attack's side effect and lost control of his metal skin, reverting to a normal man.

Neji leapt back out of the way as Lee activated the first three gates and charged Sensou. Kicking Sensou's head, Lee took advantage of the room's size to become a green and black pinball as he pummeled the armor less giant.

Tenten meanwhile had been examining Sensou's body and noticed a thick band of metal plates encircling his waist. "Lee, hit those metal plates!" yelled Tenten. The wolf boy did as instructed, causing the plates to shatter from the force of his blows, revealing metal wire being used to hold the two halves of Sensou's body together. Tenten quickly pulled out some shuriken. "Lee, attack his head!" As soon as the green and black blurr was away from her targets, Tenten hurled the shuriken at the stitches, which snapped in half. Lee's next blow to Sensou's head ripped the remaining stitches and hurled Sensou's body into the air.

With a cry of, "Joy Gate Kai!" Lee suddenly disappeared before beams of light seemed to pass through Sensou. Lee suddenly appeared above Sensou and drove his feet and hand into the man's chest with a cry of, "Shin Ura Renge (True Extreme Lotus)!" as he sent Sensou crashing into the ground. Neji rushed in, Byakugan active, and jabbed Sensou's heart, causing the man to cough up blood before his eyes rolled back up into his head and he expired.

"Let's get out of here," said Neji as Tenten used chakra strings to retrieve her weapons before the group turned to find the entrance to the chamber blocked by a large rock pile, including some rocks to big for them to move even working together. "Looks like we'll have to make an exit," muttered Neji before glancing at Lee. "Lee, rest a bit first, I doubt your body will recover from using the sixth gate very quickly." Lee nodded and sat down Indian style before starting to regulate his breathing to help himself cool down while Neji and Tenten started removing the few rocks they could to make it easier to get out.

(0o0o0)

"Suiton: Mizuame Nabara (Water Style: Syrup Capture Field)!" yelled Haku as she spat out a thin stream of syrup that spread across the ground and trapped Kisei (Death) since he wasn't expecting her to try to trap him so simply. The syrup prevented him from moving and Haku's next jutsu would build on that. "Hyōton: Hyōrō no Jutsu (Ice Style: Ice Prison Technique)!" said Haku as the syrup water rose up to encase Kisei in a pillar of ice.

"Time to make an ice carving," said Aki before she drew Usuba (Thin Blade). The obsidian blade easily sliced through the ice and Kisei in one clean slice. However, Kisei's skin faded away to reveal a skeleton.

"Gaikotsu Bunshin (Skeleton Clone) no Jutsu!" said Kisei as he appeared behind Aki and swung his scythe to decapitate her. However, a fox fire ball in his face from Akemi caused him to fall backwards to avoid the attack and gave Aki the time to leap back to regroup with her team mates. "So you want to play with fire?? Kaen Yuurei (Flame Ghost)!" yelled Kisei as he slashed a tombstone with the kanji for flame on it in half. An evil looking orange ghost rose from the destroyed grave and looked towards Kisei. "Let them feel the flames of Hell," he said while pointing to the three kunoichi. The ghost flew towards the girls while bursting into flame. All three girls leapt apart, only to have the ghost focus on Aki and hurl fireballs at her. The shadow user used her Kage no Tate (Shield of Shadows) to block the attacks, but she couldn't hold it forever and a fireball managed to slip past and hit her in the chest, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Aki-chan!" yelled Akemi before she dropped to all fours and growled at the ghost before transforming to her true form. Lunging forward the four tailed kitsune grabbed the ghost in her jaws and started to shake it. Haku darted over to Aki and quickly started healing the burns on her chest. Akemi finished shredding the ghost and ran towards Kisei with death in her eyes. Her claws lashed out while covered in flame and Kisei barely managed to block with the blade of his giant scythe. The two were locked in a contest of strength until one of Akemi's tails slammed into Kisei and sent him crashing into one of the tombstones covering the room.

"All right, it's time for you to cool down," muttered Kisei as a blue ghost rose from the destroyed tombstone. "Reihyo Yuurei (Frigid Ghost)!" The dark blue ghost flew though Akemi, causing her to fall over from the intense chill it generated. Her breath became visible and she quickly reverted back to her human form with her tails wrapped around her.

Kisei took this chance to grab his scythe and raised it for a finishing blow on Akemi. "Mukurowari (Body Splitter)!" yelled the scythe wielder as he brought his blade down on the quivering fox girl.

Akemi closed her eyes, expecting to feel extreme pain before waking up to find herself reunited with her birth parents and Zabuza. When nothing happened she opened her eyes to see Haku standing over her with Korrimizusaiga (Ice Water Fang) blocking the scythe blade. "I won't let you harm my little sister," growled Haku as she shoved Kisei back. "Kirigakure (Hidden Mist) no Jutsu!" With that, a thick mist filled the room. The area immediately around the blue ghost was suddenly covered in puddles of water as the mist around it condensed into water. However, all the members of team Kunoichi were hidden in the mist and Kisei found himself alone.

"Do you think a little mist will save you from me?" yelled Kisei.

"I was trained by Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist) in the art of Muon Satsujin (Silent Homicide)," said Haku. She suddenly appeared behind Kisei and slit his throat with Koorimizusaiga, only to have him become the blue ghost in a puff of smoke that showed he had used a Kawarimi to escape. The ghost wasn't harmed by the blade, however the ice of the water fang quickly froze it solid, leaving Haku with a frozen ghost popsicle. Haku swung Koorimizusaiga to send the frozen ghost crashing into a wall, which caused it to shatter into hundreds of pieces. Kisei suddenly appeared behind Haku and brought his scythe down on her with a yell.

However, Kisei was forced to break off his attack to block a fuuma shuriken that Aki sent towards him out of the fog. The shadow user then sent her Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) out to drive the scythe user back from Haku and Akemi. Then a giant shadow fist erupted from the ground as the Kagemusha was destroyed and sent Kisei rocketing into the air.

"Ikusen Hariten Atemi (Thousand Needle Point Strike)!" yelled Aki as she threw one of her super sharp shuriken towards Kisei and multiplied it with Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu into a swarm that ripped into Kisei. As Kisei started to fall to the ground, a recovered Akemi leapt out of the mist.

"Akaakatookottahi itoguruma (Blazing Fire Spinning Wheel)!" roared Akemi as she brought her blazing tails down on Kisei. The spirit user was sent crashing to the ground and lay still as Akemi landed. "Alright, we got him!" cheered Akemi as she returned to her human form and started bouncing up and down.

The sound of strained laughter caused all three members of team kunoichi to stop smiling. "Hehehehehe, it will take more that that to finish me off," said Kisei as he climbed to his feet using his scythe for support. "You three are annoying, I'm going to finish you off now! Kuchiyose: Sanningumi Shibousha (Summoning: Gang of Three Deaths) no Jutsu!" yelled Kisei before he slammed his bloody hand into the ground. Three clouds of smoke appeared, out of which came three figures. One was a mummy, the next was a human corpse that appeared recently dead to Haku, and the final one was a grey ghost with an evil frown. "Miira (mummy)! Kyonshi (Reanimated Corpse)! Ikiryou (Vengeful Spirit)! Destroy these fools!" yelled Kisei. The spirit made the first move, rushing towards Akemi and swiping at her with its ghostly hands. Akemi avoided the attack, but the near miss chilled her and she knew she would have to make sure to avoid being touched by the ghost. The corpse lunged towards Haku, who sent a swarm of ice senbon at it, only to have the corpse show no sign the pressure points the needles hit had any effect. Aki was left dealing with the mummy, which had sent some of its bandages at her to try to bind her so it could crush her with a powerful blow. Aki managed to slice the bandages with her wakizashi and rolled under the mummy's punch to slash its leg, causing the bandaged enemy to fall. Aki quickly slapped explosive notes onto the mummy and leapt clear before it detonated in a brilliant explosion. The explosion destroyed the mummy's bandages and revealed the disgusting shrunken corpse underneath them. Aki nearly gagged as the smell of the mummified body hit her, but she kept her wits about her and avoided the mummy's punches.

Haku scowled as she weaved around the corpse's attacks until one hit her and sent her crashing into a tombstone. "No more nice dragon girl!" growled Haku as she raised Koorimizusaiga. "Suiton: Ōzumatoi (Water Release: Great Whirlpool Entwining) no Jutsu!" yelled Haku as water swirled around her father's fang in a giant vortex. Haku dashed forward and sliced the corpse to pieces before the water vortex faded away. Haku immediately ran to help Aki since the shadow user was not as good at Taijutsu as her team mates.

Akemi had leapt back to avoid the specter's attacks and was charging chakra into her fists. Her fox fire didn't seem to faze the specter, while her Tetsugan (Iron String) went right through it. "I hope this works," muttered Akemi before she charged with specter with a cry of, "Taiyōken (Fist of the Sun)!" as her fists were surrounded by brilliant white fire. These flames did hurt the specter and it let out a scream of pain as Akemi rapidly punched every part of its form. Akemi's final blow was a massive uppercut that unleashed a pillar of white fire around the spirit and reduced it to dust. Seeing Haku and Aki had the mummy under control, Akemi leapt towards Kisei. The scythe wielder found it harder to deal with Akemi's fists, feet, tails, and Tetsugan than he had when she was in her true form.

Aki and Haku managed to force the mummy back towards the syrup field Haku had used to trap Kisei, their flashing blades keeping the undead from getting close enough to hit them. The mummy's foot finally landed in the sticky syrup and both girls grinned. "Hyoton: Reitoufunsaiki (Ice Style: Freeze Crusher)!" yelled Haku as she rapidly formed some one handed seals that caused giant blocks of ice to rise up on either side of the mummy before slamming together to crush it between them. The ice blocks then merged into one solid block, trapping the remains of the mummy within their grasp. "Let's finish this guy off!" said Haku as she spun to face Kisei were he was struggling against Akemi. Faced with three swift opponents, Kisei rapidly lost ground.

"I need some fire and water!" yelled Aki as she bit her thumb and swiped the blood along the flat of Usuba. Akemi and Haku both sent a blast of their respective elements at Aki, who swiped her obsidian sword through the blasts. The kanji for fire and water appeared on the sword and Aki grinned as she yelled, "Yakiba (Tempered Blade)!" before charging Kisei. The necromancer tried to block her attack with his scythe, but the obsidian blade sliced right through the thick metal and cut off his head. Kisei's face bore a startled expression as it hit the floor and his body collapsed.

Moments later, Tayuya, Kudora, and Mikoto burst into the room with Shinja riding on a white wolf behind Mikoto and the rest of the rescued prisoners following her. "You're okay!" gasped Tayuya before she seemed to teleport to Haku and Akemi and pull them into a hug.

"Woah, you killed Kisei-teme!" exclaimed Shinja.

"Shinja-chan, don't use such language!" scolded Mikoto. As soon as Haku saw Mikoto, her face grew pale.

"It can't be! You're Sasuke-kun's mother, I saw your grave!" she gasped.

"Kabuto-teme tried to make my husband and I kill Sasuke, only Sasuke saved me and I sacrificed my life to save him from Fugaku. Tayuya then used a special jutsu of her clan to bring me back to life," said Mikoto.

"That's all well and good, but we need to move!" said Aki. "We can't stay here forever, and knowing Naruto he'll take this place out with a huge explosion."

"You're right, come on!" said Haku. Akemi assumed her large form and happily took Shinja onto her back, where the little snake girl quite happily started chatting with the kitsune, as well as several of the prisoners.

(0o0o0)

"Okay, I think this is the only thing keeping us in here," said Neji as he examined a particularly large rock.

"I'll take care of it!" declared Lee as he leapt up to his feet. "Futae ino Kiwami!" yelled Lee as he punched the giant boulder. For a moment, the boulder seemed unchanged, then it burst in half, freeing the team.

"Good job, Lee!" exclaimed Tenten as she gave him a sisterly hug. The group exited the chamber to find Team Kunoichi and the rescued prisoners. Neji's mouth dropped open as he saw Mikoto. Being Hinata's protector he had often accompanied her to the Uchiha and Uzumaki households, so he could tell this really was Mikoto fairly easily.

"You… dead… how…?" sputtered Neji before he collapsed foaming at the mouth.

"I think the strain was too much for him," muttered Haku as she created an ice sled to carry Neji. "Let's get out of here!"

(0o0o0)

Sasuke was the first member of Team 7 to make a move, charging Shishio with Gatotsu (Fang Thrust). The bandaged sword man rapidly drew his katana and slashed at Sasuke with an arc of flame, causing Sasuke to leap back in surprise. Naruto, meanwhile, had leapt into the air and drew Nenshousaiga before dropping towards Shishio with a cry of, "Enokorogusa Tsuchi (Fox Tail Hammer)!" but Shishio simply blocked the blow with the sword with his own blade. He was unprepared for Naruto to use the blade as a pivot and flip to bring his tails down on Shishio's head. Using Enokorogusa Kaitou (Fox Tail Sharp Sword), the tails became six sharp blades that sliced into Shishio, though all the blows missed his head. Naruto leapt back and scowled as he saw Shishio's wounds start to heal. "Kuso, that's the Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection) that my parents warned about…" growled Naruto.

"That's right, the only way to defeat me is to destroy me in one blow or cause so much damage that I can't regenerate fast enough to keep up with all the wounds," said Shishio as he assumed a guard stance.

Naruto instantly charged in again, aiming to decapitate Shishio with a cry of, "Odori Kitsune (Leaping Kitsune)!" he slashed up with one hand pressing against the back of Nenshousaiga while keeping his other hand on the handle. But Shishio blocked this attack also, smirking the whole time.

"Gatotsu: Sanshiki (Fang Thrust: Third Stance)!" yelled Sasuke as he lunged down at Shishio after running up the wall and leaping above him, aiming to rip the bandaged swordsman's head off after skewering it with his sword. But Shishio was wearing a metal helmet under his head bandages and the bounced right off.

"Hehehehe, the last Gatotsu user I faced tried the same thing, after I went to Hell I had a helmet of demonic metal made for me, your sword can't hope to break it!" roared Shishio before yelling, "Homura dama (Burning Soul)!" and slashing at Sasuke with his blazing sword. However, Nenshousaiga was suddenly there to block the blow and Naruto delivered a snap kick that Shishio had to leap back to dodge.

"I've seen through your technique," growled Naruto. "Sasuke, I'm sure you've seen by now he's not using chakra to ignite the blade, right?" When Sasuke nodded, Naruto grimaced and said, "My nose smells burning flesh when he uses that move. His sword is soaked in the fats and oils of those he has killed, allowing him to ignite them by dragging the blade across his sheath to create friction."

"Very clever, my Mugenjin is a serrated blade for just that reason! I wonder how fox flesh will burn?" countered Shishio with a sneer.

"Okibi Enokorogusa Kaitou (Blazing Fire Fox Tail Sharp Sword)!" yelled Gishou as he suddenly darted between Shishio's legs from behind his blazing tails hamstringing the hitoriki. The pure youki in the attack caused the wounds to regenerate very slowly, so Shishio collapsed to his knees.

"Hakurō Tenbu (White Haze Dance)!" yelled Hinata as she struck the downed swordsman from behind with her hands covered in white light. The blows, while open palm attacks like most Jyuuken attacks, had lots of force behind them and caused Shishio pain if his winces were any indication.

But Shishio had a fierce determination and managed to spin around and grab Hinata's arm, pulling her towards him while raising Mugenjin to his gauntlets. "Guren Kaina (Scarlet Lotus Arm)!" yelled Shishio as his gauntlet exploded, sending Hinata crashing to the wall where she slumped, unconscious. Enraged at the brutal beating of the girl who was like a sister to him, Sasuke charged forward as Shishio scrapped the entire length of Mugenjin along the blade's scabbard. With a cry of, "Kaguzuchi (Fire Cliff Spirit God)!" Mugenjin was covered in a cyclone of fire before Shishio performed an upwards slash at Sasuke. The Sharingan user blocked the attack the best he could, but a pillar of fire erupted from the attack and carried him up into the air as Shishio passed through the fire unharmed. Sasuke fell to the ground battered and barely able to stand. It was only due to the special Uchiha fireproof cloth of his clothes that he avoided having burns covering his entire body.

Naruto, meanwhile, had grabbed Nenshousaiga's sheath from his back and held it at his side as he assumed a Battoujutsu stance with his left foot forward, causing Shishio to laugh out loud. "I've faced the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū your style is based on, boy, and survived the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū Ōgi: Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki (Insight of the Soaring Dragon)!" yelled Shishio as he charged Naruto, preparing to slash the fox boy in half. Naruto also began to run, his eyes fixed on Shishio.

Naruto suddenly drew Nenshousaiga with a cry of, "Kuuchuuhottokattohou (Hot Cutting Method)!" as he unleashed the Amatsu Enokorogusa Atemi (Heavenly Fox Tail Strike). The wind and chakra blade sliced Shishio in half before he could blink and the follow up strike behind the first one slashed off his head. With his body in three separate pieces, Shishio knew he was finished as Sasuke loomed above him.

"Kenjutsu: Raikakiri (Sword Arts: Lightning Fire Blade)!" said Sasuke as Kiba no Akaookami (Fang of the Red Wolf) plunged into Shishio's head and turned it to dust.

"Thanks, Sasuke. Now let's revive Hinata-chan and finish our mission!" said Naruto as he approached his knocked out girlfriend. It only took a kiss and a tickle from Naruto's tails to get Hinata up. The group then ran down the corridor Shishio had been guarding.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi suddenly shuddered as she took a quick break from healing those wounded in the attack to get a drink of cold water. "Is something wrong, Kyuubi-san?" asked Tsunade.

"I just felt that Naruto was going into extreme danger… and I can't help him. Every other time I've got this feeling I've known that I can go to his aid, but I'm needed here," said the fox woman.

"Don't worry, that Gaki won't die easily, if anyone can take down the Hebi-teme and avenge sensei it's your kit and mate," said Tsunade.

"You're right Tsunade… thank you," said Kyuubi before she turned to healing a Sound nin who had surrendered due to his wounds before tanuki and kitsune would take him to join the other prisoners they were guarding.

(0o0o0)

"Looks like we've finally found the snake's lair," said Sasuke as the team stood in front of a massive stone door. Naruto and Gishou had followed Kabuto's scent to their current location and were preparing to face the silver haired medic nin once they burst down the door. Naruto had placed an explosive tag on the door and was preparing to blow it open as soon as Hinata checked out the next room.

"Byakugan," whispered Hinata as she peered through the door, only to have her face grow paler than usual. "Kabuto isn't there… it's Orochimaru!" she whispered.

"Anything else?" asked Naruto quietly.

"Yes… I think there is a seal drawn on the ground… but I can't see the whole thing, as well as a giant statue of something that Orochimaru is facing on the side of the room opposite from us," replied Hinata.

"Alright, we blow in the door and try to scare him into thinking there are more than the three of us," said Naruto as he created several clones that henged into his father, mother, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. He then set off the explosive note and the three shinobi, single kitsune, and shadow clones rushed into the room. But Orochimaru was more than prepared, and spun around with an evil smirk on his face.

"Sen'eitajashu (Hidden Shadow many Snake Hand)!" hissed Orochimaru as snakes shot out of his sleeves to bind all the attackers.

"That's impossible; Sarutobi-jiji sealed away the soul of your arms! I saw them, they were dead!" yelled Naruto.

"He's transferred bodies since you stopped my possessed body from reaching him," growled Sasuke.

"That's right, Sasuke-kun. I do wish you had made it, though, I would have wanted your body to be the one I made my own for all eternity," said the snake Sennin. He then turned to the 'adults'. "You four were foolish to bring these children here. Now they will watch you die at my hands and know true despair before I finish them off! Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Kū no Tachi (Kusanagi Sword: Long Sword of the Heavens)!" Orochimaru summoned his mighty sword and prepared to slaughter his long time foes. However, Kyuubi's tails suddenly became sharp blades that sliced the snakes binding her to pieces. Her claws bared, the fox woman leapt at Orochimaru, weaving around the rapid series of sword thrusts he used to attempt to skewer her. Naruto freed himself in the same way, quickly slicing the snakes holding Sasuke, Hinata, and the other adults to pieces. However, even as they charged Orochimaru en masse, the Kusanagi sliced Kyuubi's arm, causing her to disappear in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed and he released a wave of killing intent so strong that all the disguised clones disappeared as Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke froze. "I'll admit I'm impressed by your ingenuity, brat, I couldn't even tell the difference from the originals," said Orochimaru as he approached Naruto, who was trembling as he tried to grasp Nenshousaiga. "I think I'll kill your little vixen first in front of you as punishment…" Orochimaru said as he raised the Kusanagi blade and prepared to slash Hinata in half. "You resisted my killing intent once before, girl, but nothing will save you now!" said Orochimaru as he brought the blade down towards Hinata's head.

Everyone was blinded by a bright yellow flash and heard a sudden KLANG sound. As the light faded, Naruto was revealed standing in front of Hinata, barely able to keep the Kusanagi blade back with Nenshousaiga. The kitsune boy was using one hand on the back of the blade and the other on the hilt to keep the legendary blade from moving down, but it was clear he had only barely managed to break the paralysis Orochimaru had put the team under and save Hinata in time. "Don't you dare touch a hair on her head, hebi-teme!" growled Naruto.

"I'll admit you're strong to break free of my Kanashibari (Body Freeze) no Jutsu," said Orochimaru, "But you're still not strong enough to beat me!" Orochimaru's leg snapped up and slammed into Naruto's chin, sending him up into the air. A giant snake shot out of Orochimaru's sleeve to grab the fox boy, slamming him into the ground of the chamber before disappearing as Orochimaru walked towards Naruto as the fox boy struggled to get to his feet, only to scream in pain as his left leg was broken where they snake had grabbed it. "Die!"

'No, he can't die here!' thought Sasuke frantically as he struggled to free his body and save his blood brother.

"Nooooooooo!" screamed Hinata.

A yellow and white blur slammed into Orochimaru with the sound of lightning striking and a yell of, "Raijingu Sanda (Raging Thunder)!" before Orochimaru was tossed away from Naruto and the blur became Ken, grasping a black sword hilt that had a blade of lightning chakra growing from it.

"Orochimaru, you made a big mistake by attempting to hurt my family and destroy the village under my protection!" said Ken as he glared at the snake Sennin.

"Kukukukukukukukukuku, so you hunted down the Raijin sword? It is one of the few things that can counter my Kusanagi. But that won't save you!" hissed Orochimaru.

"You really think an old snake like you can take me on?" countered Ken.

"You may be Konoha no Kīroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash), but you're still no match for me!" growled Orochimaru.

"Doton: Doryūdan (Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet) no jutsu!" yelled another voice as several giant mud balls slammed into Orochimaru, sending him crashing into the cavern wall. "Hmmpph, you're growing sloppier Orochimaru, you missed me," said Jiraiya from beside the giant earth dragon head that had shot the earth bullets.

"Well, the two of you together might just give me a hard time," said Orochimaru as he slithered out of the mud, only to leap aside as Kakashi's chakra fang passed through where his black heart would have been.

"You dare to lay a hand on my team and I'll skin you alive," growled Kakashi after he had landed and spun around to face Orochimaru, Sharingan spinning.

"Kick his ass, Otou-san, Ero-Sennin, Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Naruto. The short reprieve had been enough for Gishou to dart to Sasuke and Hinata and give them a small bite to break the hold the Kanashibari had on them still, so Hinata was able to heal Naruto.

"You kids get out of here, it's the adults' play time!" said Jiraiya.

"Stupid Ero-Sennin, he even manages to make an order to retreat sound perverted," muttered Naruto as he ran with Hinata, Sasuke, and Gishou towards the entrance to the chamber.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had darted forward with Hakkō Chakura To (White Light Chakra Saber) and had joined Ken in dueling Orochimaru. Jiraiya was staying outside the fight with a Rasengan formed in his hand, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

(0o0o0)

"Damn, that's a big boulder," said Kiba as he stared at the large rock that had appeared to block the Konoha infiltration group's escape route.

"It looks like our opponent's insects placed this here incase we escaped him," said Shino as he could see signs of giant insect legs having helped move the boulder.

"So how do we break through?" asked Sakura. "I'm pretty sure I can see a bunch of smaller rocks this big one is bracing, if we destroy it this whole tunnel could collapse on us!"

"Leave that to me!" said Chouji as team Asuma reached their comrades. "Kiba, you can break through the boulder, then I'll use my Baika no jutsu to hold up the tunnel while you all run out then use a Nikudan Sensha to bust myself out!"

"That plan sounds good," said the recently awakened Neji as the rest of the team finally reached the exit. "I can't see any guards outside, they probably weren't expecting us to get out. Do it Kiba!"

"Alright Akamaru! Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō yelled Kiba before the giant two headed wolf made its second appearance for the day. The giant canine hurled itself at the boulder while going into a spin with a cry of "Garōga (Double Wolf Fang)!" before the boulder was blown apart. Kiba and Akamaru kept going, tearing the snake head entrance apart as they crashed into the thick trees that gradually slowed them down to a complete stop.

"Baika no Jutsu!" yelled Chouji as he grew to an immense size and braced the collapsing tunnel wall with his hands.

"Hurry everyone!" urged Haku as Konoha ninja, wolves, and tigers fled out of the snake's den.

"Alright Chouji, everyone is clear!" yelled Ino.

"Nikudan Sensha!" roared Chouji before he became a spinning ball of Akimichi wrath that blasted through the rubble and out to the forest. Everyone watched as the entrance collapsed, sealing the back entrance to the lair.

"Wait, we forgot Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke!" yelled Sakura in horror.

"Don't worry, Naruto can bust through that stuff easy," said Akemi. "Plus, Haku-chan checked on them as we came back with Uranai HyouShou (Divination Ice Mirror) and they're with Otou-san, Jiraiya-sama, and Kakashi-sensei. After they finish kicking Orochimaru's slimy butt they'll rejoin the main group and get out of there!"

"That's a relief," said Ino before she glanced at the sky. "Hey, looks like there will be a solar eclipse soon, the moon is moving towards the sun," she exclaimed.

"That's strange, I don't remember any solar eclipses on the calendar," said Shikamaru.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi froze as she suddenly felt something she hadn't felt in ages. "Tsunade, use the radio, summon our forces out of there now!" yelled the fox woman. The blonde Hokage turned to her friend in surprise.

"Why should we retreat? Xaria's scouts have combed the whole place over and we've captured all the inhabitants of the village and got them under guard by Kitsune and Tanuki. The only ones we can't account for are Orochimaru and Kabuto," said Tsunade.

"See the moon? There isn't supposed to be a solar eclipse today, something powerful is brewing and I think I know what!" yelled Kyuubi as she pointed to where the moon was close to obscuring the sun.

(0o0o0)

"Kukukukukukukuku, it seems that all three of you are worthy of your titles," said Orochimaru as he leaned against the giant statue of the eight headed snake. The snake Sennin's robes were covered in cuts from his opponents' swords and the mark of a Rasengan hitting his chest showed where Jiraiya had struck a lucky blow with a gaping hole as the result.

"It's over, Orochimaru, your ambition ends here!" said Ken as he prepared to finish off the evil serpent.

"Not quite. I bet you're wondering why I have this statue in here, aren't you?" asked Orochimaru. "This land was once the territory of the Hachibi, Yamata no Orochi…"

(0o0o0)

"… my greatest foe. I fought him here long ago and defeated him after a battle that lasted several weeks," said Kyuubi. "I used one of my fangs to turn him to stone and seal him in his lair as a statue. My friend Gobi helped me raise mountains over the land and cleanse it of Hachibi's taint and I forgot about this location…"

(0o0o0)

"… when I found this place I knew instantly that I could find what I needed to fulfill my goals!" exclaimed Orochimaru. "I destroyed the fang and found that Orochi was trapped forever in his current form. But I was able to absorb some of his chakra. Every year I absorb one full tail worth of his chakra visiting this lair every other month and letting Kabuto run things while I absorb the chakra. And now my plans come to fruit as the eclipse occurs…"

(0o0o0)

"… the seal I placed on Orochi will break. Even now I can feel his power building in anticipation! But I sense it being converted to Orochimaru's chakra! If he's absorbed enough then…"

(0o0o0)

"… the total chakra of the Yamata no Orochi is mine!" yelled Orochimaru as the solar eclipse started. The dark purple chakra of the curse seals appeared in the mouths of the snake statue and flowed into Orochimaru as he was wrapped in a cocoon of purple chakra. The giant statue suddenly started to break into pieces and then whole thing started to crumble, collapsing into a deep hole in the ground and pulling Orochimaru with it.

"Okay… that was weird," said Naruto as he stared at the place the statue had occupied. A loud roar suddenly erupted from the depths and a giant snake head rose out of the depths with Orochimaru's head atop it. The head however had long spiky hair as opposed to Orochimaru's usual long hair and the mouth was filled with sharp fangs and jutted out like a dragon's mouth. (AN: See chapter 344 of the manga or search for Orochimaru on Wikipedia, the image is also there. Then put an oriental dragon snout on him) The head bore the kanji for darkness on its brow. Seven more roars were heard and seven more heads rose out of the depths, followed by part of a massive body that they were all connected to. The other seven heads bore the kanji for fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, poison, and metal. As all eight heads roared at the Konoha ninja, Naruto gulped and said, "I think now would be a good time to RUN!" All of the group followed this advice, only to have the entrance to the chamber collapse as the Earth head rammed the wall above the entrance and caused a rockslide to block off the passage. The Konoha group leapt away as the head swung towards them, scattering themselves around the chamber to avoid presenting a single target. Ken found himself facing the fire head and avoiding streams of fire the head spat at him. Hinata found herself facing the earth head, while Jiraiya was forced to dodge the lightning head's bolt attacks. Kakashi was covering his eyes against the twister called down by the wind head, and Sasuke evaded the fangs of the water head. Naruto was frantically dodging the poison clouds from the mouth of the poison head. The darkness head was snapping at all of the Konoha ninja randomly with the metal head helping it, causing a few scary moments when the group had to deal with three heads at once.

Naruto finally managed to get the poison head to hit the earth head with a cloud of poison gas. "Hinata-chan, switch!" yelled Naruto. Hinata leapt into the air and landed on the back of the poison head, her hands glowing green with medical chakra.

"Gekidoku gedokuzai (Deadly Poison Antidote)!" yelled Hinata as she slammed both palms into the top of the poison head. The metal head instantly swung around with jaws wide open to kill Hinata, only to be grabbed by a giant light brown arm with blue veins.

"It seems your fight is with me," said Gaara as he rose out of the ground with his gourd of sand on his back.

"Thanks, Gaara, we owe you one!" yelled Naruto as he landed a power packed kick to the Earth head's chin. The blow did little against the rock hard skin and Naruto cursed. "Kakashi-sensei, I can't pierce this guy, want to take him?" yelled the blond.

"Gladly," said Kakashi as he used a tornado from the wind head to leap high into the air. Naruto bounced off the earth head and grinned as he landed on the wind head.

Jiraiya had already managed to switch heads with Sasuke, who now found himself grabbed by Ken and tossed at the fire head while Ken faced the lightning head. "Sasuke, hold him off until Hinata finishes poison head and can take over, then help Gaara with metal head!" yelled Ken.

Gaara in the meantime had leapt up behind Hinata and was fending off any attacks by the darkness and metal heads with his sand. "Please try to hurry, Hinata-san, I can't hold them off forever," said the tanuki boy.

"Almost done!" gasped Hinata. The poison head's movements had become less energetic, while the poison gas expelled with each breath diminishing. Hinata finally managed to finish her jutsu and purified all the miasma in the head, causing it to collapse to the ground. "Gaara, I need a lift!" she gasped as she popped a soldier pill into her mouth. Gaara's sand promptly picked her up and tossed her at the fire head, while Sasuke leapt towards the metal head. "Suiton: Suigeki (Water Hammer) no jutsu!" yelled Hinata before she spat out a giant sphere of water that formed into a hammer and crashed down on the fire head.

"Okay, Kaze-teme, pop quiz time! What's strong against wind?" yelled Naruto. The head roared, tossing Naruto to the ground as it lunged towards him. "Katon: Rasengan!" roared Naruto as a ball of fire chakra formed in his hand before he smashed it into the kanji for wind. The head reared back screaming in agony, but glared at Naruto through the blood flowing from the wound. "Come and get me, teme!" yelled Naruto as he smacked his bottom at the snake and started running around like a madman to avoid the wounded head's attacks.

"Excellent, Naruto!" yelled Jiraiya. The toad sage was avoiding blasts of water from the water head with ease, waiting for the right moment to strike. "Doton: Saiganki (Earth Style: Rock Crusher) no Jutsu!" yelled Jiraiya as two giant rock columns shot up on either side of the water head before slamming together to trap the head between them before sprouting spikes and spinning together to shred the head. "That's two down!" yelled Jiraiya.

"Make it three! RAIKIRI!" yelled Kakashi as he drove his sole original jutsu into the earth head's brain, sending the electric blade's energy through out it and frying it. Kakashi pulled his hand free and had to leap back as the darkness head attempted to gobble him up.

Ken, meanwhile, had been charging a Rasengan in both hands and now yelled, "Fuuton Rasengan!" before he drove the massive ball of wind chakra into the lightning head's face. The result was a ball of slicing wind blades dicing the head in an instant, causing numerous pieces to fall into the pit the body was in.

With four heads down, the group had a much easier time. Sasuke leapt towards Naruto, who had been looking for an opening to use Katon: Rasengan on the wind head again, while the adults went to help Gaara and Hinata. Kakashi grimaced as his Raikiri failed to pierce the metal armor of the metal head, even though Gaara was holding it still. "Hinata, I think we'll need a Jyuuken strike here, it's basically a neutral element, so we'll need plain old chakra to kill it!" he yelled. Hinata glanced leapt up from the protective shield Gaara had been covering her with, and used some helpful disks of sand to bounce up to Kakashi's side. The metal near the silver haired ninja's feet showed many scorch marks to indicate the places he had driven a Raikiri into the metal, only to have it be repelled.

Hinata gathered chakra around her hands in the shape of blades and yelled, "Hakke Naifu Mai (Eight Trigrams: Knife Dance)!" before rapidly jabbing her hands towards the metal covered forehead. Though the attack didn't make a dent in the metal, the chakra blades passed right through it and stabbed deep into the brain. The head shuddered before collapsing, while Kakashi caught Hinata and leapt clear of the demon.

Jiraiya quickly made his way to the fire head, which was slightly stunned from Hinata's last attack. The Toad Sennin mentally cursed his lack of S-rank Suiton jutsu, since he had become used to using the larger toads like Gamabunta, to supply attacks of that magnitude and it looked like it would take that kind of power to kill on of Orochimaru's heads. Then a very Narutoish idea occurred to Jiraiya and he formed a blade of water from the water scattered around the chamber by the water head and Hinata in his hand with a few hand seals and muttered, "Mizu no Yaiba (Water Blade)!" Unlike the sword formed by the fang of Haku's birth father, this sword looked more like a thick blast from a hose that had been frozen in time and sharpened. Jiraiya dashed towards the fire head as it started to recover and made a quick X shaped slash that destroyed both of the head's eyes. The fire head let out a roar of anger and tried to bite Jiraiya, but the toad hermit leaped like his summon allies and land on the head's snout. "I hope this works," said Jiraiya as he formed more hand seals before yelling, "Suiton: Suirō (Water style: Water Prison) no Jutsu!" Jiraiya knew trying to trap the entire head in a sphere of water would cause him to waste all his chakra, so he settled for covering the serpent's mouth and nose. Since the head had been bellowing in pain from having its eyes cut out, it didn't notice the water right away and inhaled a large amount as Jiraiya fought hard to keep the prison going. The head's thrashing grew more frantic before slowly quieting completely. Jiraiya waited a few more minutes then lit it and himself collapse, drained from holding it for so long.

Naruto and Sasuke were frantically avoiding the wind head's lunges, air blasts, and mini tornadoes as they tried to figure out a way to take it out quickly. Finally, the two settled for a combination jutsu attack. Sasuke hurled his blazing Fuuma Shuriken at the head and used Sofuushasen no Tachi (Windmill Triple Blade) to tie the head up in ninja wire when the blazing shuriken dug into its flesh. "Katon: Ryuuka (Fire style: Dragon Fire) no jutsu!" yelled Sasuke as Naruto landed beside him before spitting out a giant flame blast that raced along the wire towards the wind head.

"Katon: Kitsune-hou (Fire Style:Fox Cannon) no jutsu!" yelled Naruto as he sent an equally large blast of fox fire after Sasuke's attack. Both sets of flames merged to form a giant blazing fox head that bit down on the wind head. The head struggled in the fire fox's grip, only to see Naruto leap up into the air with crimson flames around his arm. "Guren Kaina (Arm of Crimson Flame)!" roared Naruto as he drove the ball of crimson flame in his hand into the fire-blackened wind head, which was quickly enveloped in a massive explosion.

The explosion tossed Naruto back into the wall of the chamber before he slammed to the ground. Nenshousaiga was torn free in the flight and fell towards the stunned kitsune boy, plunging into his side as it just missed hitting any organs. Naruto spat out some blood from the damage he's suffered hitting the wall and ground before screaming in agony as the seal Hinata had mentioned earlier started glowing. "Naruto-kun!" yelled Hinata as she rushed towards him, only to see Naruto stiffen and lie still. Hinata's heart nearly broke as she failed to find any sign of breathing or a pulse. "Sasuke, he's in shock!" she yelled. "I need you to breath for him while I jump start his heart!" Sasuke nodded and reached for Nenshousaiga to remove it, only to gasp as a red aura leapt up around the blade and tossed him back.

"Kukukukukukukukuku, it appears the seal used to imprison Orochi is still active, it's using the sword from that bitch's fang like the fang that imprisoned Orochi," declared Orochimaru from the only head he had left, darkness.

"Damn, I thought I'd never have to hear your voice again," said Jiraiya.

"I admit that suddenly having eight heads makes it hard to know which one to speak with. But you can forget about saving the fox brat, it took me a month to destroy the fang imprisoning Orochi. And you will all die before that!" declared Orochimaru.

(0o0o0)

Naruto stared around at the grey mist filled space he found himself in. "Dang, I thought heaven would feature a scantily clad Hinata eating ramen with me in between bouts of passionate love making," muttered Naruto.

"I see you haven't changed much, Naruto-kun," said a familiar voice. Naruto spun around to see a long loved and mourned figure.

"Oji-san!" cried Naruto as he ran to and hugged the Sandaime.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun," said the old man as he hugged Naruto back.

"So this is the boy who dreams of being Hokage that you told us about, Saru (Monkey)," said a new voice. Naruto's eyes widened as the Shodaime and Nidaime stepped out of the mist.

"I can see why you speak of him so highly," said the Nidaime as he gazed at Naruto. "His eyes have the same passion and fire we saw in your own."

"Indeed, seldom have I seen such a Will of Fire," said Shodaime.

"Heh, just wait, I'll surpass ALL the Hokage yet and my name will be known for generations to come!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Somehow I know you'll succeed, boy," said Nidaime before he ruffled Naruto's hair.

(0o0o0)

"Saikō Zettai Hōgeki, Shukaku no Hōkō (Ultimate Offense: Spear of Shukaku)!" growled Gaara before he hurled a giant halberd in the shape of Shukaku's claw at Orochimaru.

The snake Sennin laughed as a disk of dark energy deflected the attack. "Fools! With every moment I grow more and more powerful! Your little attacks mean nothing to me!" he yelled.

Kakashi's Sharingan eye spun rapidly as he channeled a Raikiri through the chakra fang in his hand, making it a true lightning blade. The cycloptic Jounin charged forward to the accompaniment of Sasuke, whose own blade crackled with fire and lightning. Teacher and student ran up the side of Orochimaru's long neck on opposite sides from one another until they reached Orochimaru's head and leapt towards one another. Their blades cut deep into Orochimaru's throat and a waterfall of blood poured down from the massive cuts the two had made.

"And that's nothing?" asked Sasuke after he landed on the ground and sheathed his sword. Orochimaru was falling backwards into the abyss he had risen out of, only to suddenly lunge back up, the massive cut already fading.

"Fools, each of my heads you killed passed its strength to the rest. I can survive any wound!" roared Orochimaru.

Ken dropped from the chamber's ceiling and rapidly slapped some ofuda onto Orochimaru's head. "Baka, there's no spiritual power in those!" laughed Orochimaru.

Ken simply smirked the infamous Uzumaki smirk and said, "Hiraishin Kenjutsu: Chirachira Yaiba Arashi (Flying Thunder God Sword Arts: Flickering Blade Storm)!" before he teleported from his place on the ground to one of the jutsu formula tags he'd just placed. After images of Ken started to appear as he used all his speed to constantly slash Orochimaru with the Raijin sword.

Despite the massive blood loss Orochimaru had to endure, he recovered as Ken landed on the ground and spat a ball of black energy at the Yondaime. Ken braced himself for the impact, only to feel a cool breeze in front of him and see a bright light through his closed eye lids. Opening his eyes, Ken saw Hinata with her Houyoku (Phoenix Wings) glowing brightly while a hand gloved in pink light held back the dark energy blast. Hinata's other hand clutched a blade of water with a white light shining from within it. "Orochimaru, you are an abomination. Though it may cost me my life I will send you to Shinigami to protect those I love," said Hinata, her usually lavender eyes blazing with a white flame.

"You're welcome to try, little girl," sneered Orochimaru. "I'm sure you'll barely have the strength to move after holding back my attack for so long!"

Hinata merely tossed the entire ball of dark energy towards the roof of the cavern before taking to the air. Even as the dark energy ball crashed into the caver rood, she brought her sword down in a slash that left a deep wound in Orochimaru's side. The evil Sennin screamed as the water sword destroyed his youki. "(Hamamizu) no Yaiba (Holy Water Blade)!" yelled Hinata as she rose to the cracking roof of the cavern before suddenly dive bombing Orochimaru several times and leaving several gashes on his face that wouldn't heal. Orochimaru's eyes widened in fear as one little girl threatened to end all his ambitions. "Now that you've seen my Kuuenbu/Kuuenzan (Sky Waltz/Sky Slash), DIE!" yelled Hinata as she prepared to slice Orochimaru from head to tail.

Just as it seemed the battle was won for Konoha's forces, a giant rock fell from the ceiling. Hinata was so focused on avenging Naruto she failed to sense the giant stone or hear the cries of warning from her companions before the world went black. Hinata's sword, wings, and her blazing eyes all disappeared before she started to fall towards the ground.

Orochimaru's tongue shot out and grabbed the unconscious heiress. "You look tasty," he said as he opened his mouth.

(0o0o0)

"So where are we? Last I heard all three of you were swallowed by Shinigami as well as Orochimaru's arms," said Naruto.

"This is Limbo, a place for those not quite dead yet," said Sandaime. "Shinigami-sama spit us out after Orochimaru's arms gave him a stomach ache, so we ended up here. And you were sealed in Hachibi's cavern by accident, so your soul was torn out and placed here."

"Kuso, I've got to get back, they need me!" yelled Naruto.

"Yes, the young Hyuuga is in great danger," said Shodaime.

"Hinata-chan!" yelled Naruto. "Just you wait, Orochi-teme, when I get out of here I'll rip you apart!"

The three past Hokage glanced at one another and nodded. "Relax, Naruto, we can get you back to the land of the living." said Sarutobi.

All three past Hokage cut their hands with one of Naruto's kunai and started using their blood to write out a giant seal around Naruto. All three men stood an equal distance from Naruto and one another before going through a series of hand seals at the same time. All three pressed their hands to the giant seal and yelled, "Will of Fire Inheritance!"

(0o0o0)

Just before Orochimaru could swallow Hinata, a giant chakra spike caught everyone's attention. All of those present stared in shock as Naruto's hand came up to grasp Nenshousaiga's hilt before he pulled it from his body, leaving a wound that was rapidly fading. The chakra everyone had been sensing suddenly became visible as Naruto stood up. The chakra formed a set of robes around Naruto, robes everyone knew, they were the robes of the Hokage. The look was only spoiled by the fact Naruto was still his normal height, making him a mini-Hokage. But any thoughts of amusement were driven from Orochimaru's head as Naruto's eyes locked onto his. Neon blue met serpent gold before Naruto suddenly disappeared. Jiraiya and Gaara couldn't even see the blond move, Kakashi and Sasuke only saw a gold blur, and Ken saw his son moving at Shunshin speeds. The one thing running through all their minds was, "So fast!" as Naruto appeared above Orochimaru's snout.

Naruto's foot slammed into the top of Orochimaru's snout, sending the giant snake's head crashing to the ground. At the same time, Naruto grabbed Hinata from the grasp of Orochimaru's tongue and used Shunshin to appear beside Sasuke. "Watch over her, Sasuke, I've got a snake to skin," said Naruto as he passed Hinata to the Uchiha.

"Kick his scaly ass, Naruto!" said Sasuke.

Orochimaru had recovered from Naruto's blow and gazed at Naruto with confusion on his reptilian face. "How are you alive? The seal should have kept you bound forever!" exclaimed the giant snake Sennin.

"I was stuck in Limbo, there I met three people you should know, their faces are the first three gazing down on our village," replied Naruto. "They passed their Will of Fire on to me and gave me the strength to break free from Limbo." Naruto vanished and brought Nenshousaiga down across Orochimaru's left eye. Orochimaru roared as Nenshousaiga's flames seared his flesh. Naruto then used the few jutsu formula tags to deliver a series of rapid slash attacks to Orochimaru's head, not giving the giant snake time to recover at all.

"It doesn't matter how strong you've gotten, I have the full power of Hachibi, Yamata no Orochi while you are a mere half breed! Your power is insignificant compared to mine!" roared Orochimaru.

"That's where you're wrong!" growled Naruto as he formed a hand seal nobody had ever seen before. "The Hachibi could rival my mother in strength if it wasn't for one special element she controlled, the void, which allowed her to be stronger than him! This is the power I've inherited and call on today! Kitsune Hijutsu: Tokuisei (Fox Secret Art: singularity) no Jutsu!" roared Naruto.

(0o0o0)

Back at the medical tent, Kyuubi gasped as she felt Naruto start to draw on the deadly Void jutsu. "No, he isn't ready!" she gasped, causing Mikoto, Tsunade, and the rest of Naruto's friends and family to stare at her in shock.

(0o0o0)

Orochimaru felt a moment of extreme pain before his head imploded into a small dot the size of a pencil eraser. Naruto collapsed, the Hokage robes made from chakra fading and revealing all seven of his tails. "Oh man, that took a lot out of me," groaned Naruto.

"Naruto, what did you just do?" demanded Ken.

"I opened the focal point of a black hole inside Hebi-teme's head. I pulled the jutsu from Kyu-oba-chan's memories and used it since this was probably the quickest surefire way to kill Orochimaru. Oka-san is going to have a fit; she said I wasn't going to learn any kitsune void jutsu until I was much older." The singularity's gravity effect now completely faded and Orochimaru's body started to collapse into the abyss from which it came. It was at this point that Hinata awoke and saw Naruto.

"Naruto-kun!" yelled Hinata as she suddenly appeared in his arms hugging him tightly.

"Shh, I'm alright, Hinata-chan," he said as he hugged her back.

The sudden shaking of the cavern caused the happy reunion to break up as everyone looked for the source of the commotion. It was Hinata whose Byakugan found the cause. "Orochimaru's body…. It's starting to gather all its chakra in one place and it's pulsing like it's going to explode!" she yelled. The relief everyone felt at surviving the battle with Orochimaru was quickly replaced by dread.

"Kuso… Hinata, how long do we have before it blows?" demanded Ken.

"Only minutes…" she said sadly. "We're all too low on chakra to do anything to stop it I might be able to manage one phoenix, but it wouldn't have the power to protect all of us and get us out of here."

His face pale, Ken reached up to the radio he was wearing and pressed the call button. "Kyuubi, the entrance to the room you imprisoned the Hachibi in has been sealed off. The snake's chakra is now gathering in Orochimaru's body and preparing to break loose, we'll never break free in time to make it to the surface," he said. "We're all drained of chakra and we can't see a way out of here."

"I can get you out, just give me…" Kyuubi started to say, before Ken cut her off.

"No, koibito, there isn't enough time! Orochimaru's body isn't going to hold long enough. Take care of Akemi, Haku, Tayuya, and our new kit for me," said Ken with tears in his eyes as Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke crowded around him to share his microphone.

"Oka-san, make Akemi-chan your heir and help Tsunade-sama train Haku-chan," said Naruto.

"Tell my family I will be watching over them," Hinata managed to choke out though the sobs that wanted to pour out of her at the thought of never seeing her sister, parents, cousin, aunt, and uncle again.

"Make Haku-chan promise not to follow me until it's her time, otherwise her parents and Zabuza will never let us hear the end of it," said Sasuke in an emotionless voice.

Kakashi and Jiraiya had already used their own radios to say their good byes to Rin and Tsunade respectively while Gaara had told his siblings to watch over one another and their village. With that, all of the group crushed their radios, not wanting their loved ones to hear their final moments.

(0o0o0)

Kyuubi ran out of the medical tent, only to stumble as the earth shook. She raised her head to see the mountains above Orochimaru's base start to collapse. Tears fell from her eyes as she imagined her mate and kit dying under the falling stones. She knew that if the falling rocks didn't kill everyone, the explosion of the Hachibi's chakra from Orochimaru's body would finish them off. Kyuubi cursed herself for forgetting where she had sealed the Hachibi ages ago. But even she hadn't foreseen Orochimaru finding the sealed Bijuu and absorbing his chakra.

"Obito!" gasped Rin as she appeared in a small twister and saw the mountains collapsing. This was how the other member of Ken's old Genin team had died, crushed by rocks while saving Kakashi and her during the war with Iwa.

"Oka-san!" yelled a worried voice. Kyuubi looked up to see the rest of the Konoha 15, Tayuya, Kudora, and all the rescued prisoners approaching. Haku was the one who had yelled, and beside her was an ANBU that looked and smelled familiar…

Kyuubi gasped as the ANBU removed her wolf mask to reveal the face of her old friend whom she had trained in the Gatsou. "Mikoto!" yelled Kyuubi before she ran up to and engulfed her friend in a fierce hug.

"Hello, Kyuubi, it's good to see you again, thanks for taking care of Sasuke for me," said Mikoto. At the mention of Sasuke's name, Kyuubi burst into tears. "What's wrong, Kyuubi?" asked Mikoto.

"Ken, Naruto, Hinata, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Gaara, and Sasuke are all trapped in there!" sobbed Kyuubi as she pointed at the rumbling mountains, causing everyone to gasp in horror. Kyuubi felt her long dormant youkai rage start to awaken at the loss of her mate, kit, and the two she considered kits in all but blood. Her rage called for her to avenge them by bringing all of her formidable power to bear on something. Kyuubi knew that giving into her instincts would destroy all the good that was left in her life, but she was fighting a losing battle.

A pair of arms suddenly engulfed her, the familiar scent of her youngest adopted kit filling her nose. The scent of Haku and Tayuya soon joined Akemi's as all three girls embraced their adoptive mother and shared her grief. The ache of their hearts seemed to be echoed by the land as a massive fire ball shot into the air from Orochimaru's lair. More explosions occurred, making it hard to hear anything.

Akemi's ears started to twitch before she raised her tear stained face to look at the sight of the former lair. "What's that?" she managed to choke out through the sobs escaping her heart. Seeing everyone looking at her, she said, "That song, what is it?"

It took Kyuubi a few moments to detect the sound Akemi was talking about, but when she did it made her heart beat with new hope. "That's the Song of Suzaku, it can only be sung by the Phoenix Queen, which means she has to be here to sing it, meaning Hinata is alive!" she gasped before looking up to where two giant shapes were gliding towards the Konoha and Suna forces. It was Pyreforge and Suzaku, and on their backs were the wildly waving forms of those thought to be trapped in the collapsing lair. "I don't know how it happened girls, but somehow your brother's ability to beat the odds saved everyone!" she exclaimed.

Haku vanished into an ice mirror so she could immediately glomp Sasuke on Pyreforge's back. As soon as the two boss summons landed, Naruto was being hugged by Tayuya and Akemi while Kyuubi had pounced on Ken and turning his face blue from the hug her arms and tails were giving him. Mikoto had quickly joined Haku in hugging Sasuke while Tsunade had Jiraiya in a headlock while she gave him a noogie for saying his last wish was that he could have seen her naked before he died. Rin had ripped off Kakashi's mask and had her lips locked with his while her legs were locked around his waist to keep him from escaping.

"How did you escape?" asked Kyuubi. "You said you were all out of chakra, so how did you manage to summon Suzaku and Pyreforge?"

"I saw Gishou had hurt his leg and reached into my supply pouch for a bandage, my fingers found two soldier pills that had slipped from their container, which had caused me to think I had run out," explained Hinata.

"Pyreforge used his flame breath to blast away the rocks that were falling into our path, without him we would have been crushed," said Sasuke as he scratched the dragon's horn ridge.

"The Kitsune clan owes the Ryu clan a large debt," said Kyuubi as she bowed to the fire dragon. "Now," she said as she turned to Naruto, anger clear on her face, "What were you thinking using a void jutsu???" she roared, causing Naruto to revert to a chibi version of himself.

(0o0o0)

Far away from the Konoha and Suna camp, a rock moved aside to reveal a previously hidden tunnel. Kabuto stepped out of the secret passage and regarded the distant lights that marked the camp of Orochimaru's killers. "Orochimaru-sama, you lost today but through me your legend will live on!" declared the silver haired medic nin before he pulled a sheathed sword onto his back and lifted up a large chest. "I'll see you in a few years, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," he said before walking into the darkness.

**A few notes:**

**Naruto spent most of two months throwing himself into his elemental training, way more time than he had in the manga, and he has much better chakra control in this fic, so he's mastered the fire and wind nature chakra Rasengan versions without the shadow clone training. Ken has been alive for 13 additional years, so he perfected the technique, hence using Fuuton Rasengan since he's a natural wind and lightning user.**

**The fight with Yamata Orochimaru was tough, I had to keep track of seven people and eight heads while leaving the darkness head for last… very nerve wrecking. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but summer has been filled with job and apartment hunting. I've got a job at Safeway, but the hours vary and I'm pretty drained by working there as well as my other job. Next chapter is the last one in this story, after that I'll start writing Hanyou Trials.**


	27. Tail 27: Preparing for Training Trip

**Roar of the Dragon: It's finally here, this is the last chapter of Kitsune Hanyou. I started this fic about two and a half years ago and it has been a pleasure to write. I hope all of you will enjoy this last chapter and read my next story, Hanyou trials. **

_Review Responses: I'll be using the new review response feature to answer reviews that are well thought out and address issues with the story. I won't reply to simple reviews saying how much you like the story unless you give me suggestions for how to improve it or intelligent questions about a particular detail. _

**_Special fic promotion: Please read Jedi Mistress's 1990's fic Shippo's Feudal Adventure! It's a very nice Naruto/Inuyasha crossover and I helped her write chapter 17's big battle and the climactic battle of chapter ! _**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did it would be more like this story! Aki is the property of xAkix, used here with her permission. **

**_Note: Naruto's sword is named Nenshousaiga, Burning Fang, and most of his moves with it are inspired by the game Ninja Gaiden for Xbox and the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Instead of calling Akemi's new weapon a cabled kunai, I'm calling it Tetsugen, Iron String._**

The return to Konoha was marked by many happy family reunions and sad crying over those who had lost their lives in the fighting. Hikari was delighted to find her old friend Mikoto alive again and dragged her off to the hot springs with Kyuubi and the other kunoichi while the men and boys retired to the male hot springs. After a long soak to ease their tired bodies, everyone departed to their own beds, though Mikoto was forcefully invited to live at the Uzumaki house since Kyuubi was not having her living alone with Sasuke in the Uchiha sector.

(0o0o0)

"Ugh, I don't know how you managed this Ken!" growled Tsunade as she worked on the massive amount of paperwork the one day war had created.

"Well, I always used Kage Bunshin whenever I got more than one stack of papers to do…" said Ken as he looked up from the mission assignment scrolls he was sorting. Tsunade stared at him in disbelief before smacking her head and forming some clones to help her with the paperwork. "By the way, why aren't you doing the horizontal tango with Kyuubi after you near death encounter?" she asked.

"We did it five times last night, after that I gave out, no matter what Kyuubi did. This morning after breakfast she said she had to do something special with Naruto, they'll be back by dinner time," replied Ken.

(0o0o0)

"And just where do you think you're going Sasuke?" asked Mikoto as she saw her son walking towards the door of the Uzumaki house.

"To the training grounds…" Sasuke started to say, only to stop as he saw the anger in his mother's eyes.

"You've only had an evening to recover from that massive battle, you mister are going to put your gear away and spend the day with me and Haku and fill me in on everything I've missed out on. I have some ideas from watching you from heaven, but I want to hear the rest from your own mouth," said the Uchiha matriarch. Sasuke nodded and did as his mother commanded, even after six years he still automatically responded to her orders.

(0o0o0)

"I see," said Hiashi as Hinata finished telling him the events of the previous day's battle. "Well, take the rest of the day off, Godaime-sama has summoned you to her office this evening after dinner, so spend some time with Hanabi."

"Hai, Otou-san!" said Hinata as she bowed and left to room to find her little sister.

(0o0o0)

Naruto stared as he stepped out of the portal Kyuubi had opened to the demon realm. "Now Naruto, this isn't Makai, where most of the more dangerous demons live, this realm is where youkai, dragons, fairy creatures, and other mythical beings live. This is also the world where all summoned creatures live. We're in the Oriental section where most of the inhabitants are creatures you're more familiar with," explained Kyuubi.

"Cool, can we go see Gamabunta?" asked Naruto eagerly.

Kyuubi smiled and ruffled her kit's hair. "I'm afraid we don't have time, right now we're on our way to an important meeting," she said.

"Meeting? What kind of meeting do you need me for?" asked Naruto.

"You'll see," said Kyuubi with a smile before her face turned serious. "Naruto, how did you learn the void jutsu? Only another kitsune could have told you about it, so who was it?"

"Well, when I was training like crazy because I couldn't be with Hinata-chan, Kyu-obaa-san mentioned it was too bad we couldn't just open a black hole and toss Hideyoshi into it to get rid of him. She gave me enough details about void jutsu that I was able to combine my knowledge of the Rasengan with the few jutsu-shiki (Jutsu Formula) tags still stuck on Orochimaru's head to focus the center of the singularity inside his head," explained Naruto.

"I should have known… just don't use any other void jutsu she tells you about, you need to have all nine of your tails before I'll allow you to use them," ordered Kyuubi.

"Hai Oka-san!" replied Naruto before he turned his attention to the market place they were passing through. All sorts of youkai mingled together shopping, selling, eating, and drinking. Naruto saw Tanuki, kitsune, nekomata, kappa, yuki-onna, tengu, mild mannered oni, succubi, incubi, and even a dragon. "Wow, I never thought I'd see so many youkai in one place," said Naruto.

"We'll do some shopping before we leave, but that will be after the meeting," said Kyuubi as she led Naruto towards a large street that ran to the gates of a Japanese palace. As the two approached the palace, Naruto saw the youkai around them start to whisper. He heard his mother's name, as well as Shukaku and a few others that sounded like they described numbers and tails.

"Oka-san, what is this place?" asked Naruto as the guards at the gate, two mighty oni, bowed and opened the gate for the mother and son pair.

"This Naruto, is the seat of youkai government, the palace of the Bijū," said Kyuubi. Naruto gazed around him in awe. He could see statues of the four guardian deities, Genbu the Black Turtle of the North, Seiryū the Azure Dragon of the East, Suzaku the Scarlet Phoenix of the South, and Byakko the White Tiger of the West facing each of their respective directions on top of the palace's roof. They were currently walking through a courtyard that featured nine statues that Naruto assumed were of the Bijū since he saw statues of his mother's true form as well as Shukaku.

"Woah," muttered Naruto as he looked at all the statues. "They look like they could come to life at any moment!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, they were done by master craftsmen long ago," said Kyuubi. "But as you can see, some are not well liked," she continued as she pointed to the graffiti covering Hachibi's statue.

"So why am I here if you're going to be meeting with the rest of the Bijū?" asked Naruto.

"You are here to explain to everyone the circumstances behind Orochi's death," said Kyuubi. "When I sealed him, his much kinder daughter assumed the leadership of their clan, but now that he's dead she must be confirmed as the new Hachibi."

"I guess a human having the ability to absorb the huge amount of chakra you and the other Bijū have is pretty creepy for all of you," said Naruto after he thought about it for a few minutes. In that short time, they had entered a large room with a nine sided table in the center. There were several groups of two people already there talking amongst themselves or sitting down and all of them looked up as Naruto and Kyuubi entered the room.

"Kyuubi, it's good to see you!" said a man who looked to be solid muscle as he stood up from his chair and pulled Kyuubi into a hug.

"And it's good to see you again Gobi, thank you for letting Kurotsume stay in Konoha," replied Kyuubi as she smiled at the man.

"Well, my daughter is quite taken with this Maito Gai, I'll have to come meet him some day!" declared the wolf lord, his five fails swishing happily.

"Otou-san, who is she?" asked a little girl dressed in wolf furs as she peeped out from behind Gobi. The little ears on top of her head and the way she held her tail like a security blanket screamed cute to any woman and Kyuubi had to resist the urge to pull her into a big hug.

"Cub, this is Kyuubi, the strongest of the Bijū and my good friend. Kyuubi, meet my adopted cub Tenkou (Work of Nature). She ran away from Kusagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Grass) when they mistreated her and I guided her to my pack so she could be safe, after which she threw away all connections to her past life," said Gobi.

"Hello Ten-chan!" said Kyuubi as she knelt down to be at the wolf girl's eye level. Tenkou tentatively gave Kyuubi a few sniffs before smiling and inching out from behind Gobi's legs, her eyes fixed on Kyuubi's waving tails. She gently hugged one Kyuubi offered to her, smiling at the kitsune queen.

"And who is this fine young fox boy?" asked Gobi as he stared at Naruto.

"This is my son Uzumaki Naruto," said Kyuubi, "A proud Chunin of Konohagakure no Sato."

"So you lowered yourself to mate with a ningen, disgusting," said a snide voice. Naruto spun around to see a panther youkai lady with seven wildly thrashing tails glaring at his mother.

"Nanbi no Kurohyou (Seven Tailed Black Panther), I thought I smelled something foul!" growled Kyuubi.

"And I was horrified to find you two had brought ningen into our most sacred places! Bad enough you got sealed Gobi, but for you to actually mate with a ningen Kyuubi!" said the woman.

A low growl was the only warning everyone had before Naruto darted towards the woman who just insulted his parents, only to have Kyuubi grab him. "Naruto, calm down! She's just a conceited old cat who can't understand things like love or emotions!" she barked as she kept her son from getting closer to Nanbi.

"Listen to your mother vermin, she seeks to keep you from dieing on my claws!" snarled Nanbi as she swiped her claws towards Naruto.

"Sabaku Kyū (Desert Coffin)!" said a voice as sand suddenly wrapped around Nanbi's hands, covering her claws and rendering them useless. "I'm surprised at you Makura (Total Darkness or Shortsightedness), you're usually in better control of your emotions than this," said a large man clad in monk robes as he tapped the staff he was carrying on the ground. The fact that Gaara was standing behind him as well as the Tanuki ears and tail he sported showed this was Shukaku in his human form. "This hall is a place of neutrality, there is to be no bloodshed here," the tanuki lord continued.

"Indeed, my master would be most pleased to have a Bijū soul to eat," said a rich cultured voice as a Nekomata stepped out from behind Shukaku with a blond haired girl bearing a Kumo Hita-ate following her. The nekomata had an obsidian scythe on her back and two tails swaying behind her. The black kosode, kimono, hakama, and obi, she wore all seemed to bear a faint smell of corpses (Think an all black version of a Shinigami outfit from Bleach), though not strong enough to be disgusting. As her glowing green eyes passed over Naruto, he left a light shudder as if death had passed him by. But he also saw a beauty in the Nibi's appearance, the promise of freedom for those who were suffering and the chance to be reunited with lost loved ones. This was hinted at as her eyes softened as they gazed at Tenkou and him.

"Ichibi, release me!" hissed Nanbi.

"While I would be quite happy to have Nibi summon her master to take your soul away, we have more pressing matters to attend to than your vanity," said Shukaku.

A sudden crack of thunder outside caused all the humans to jump, though the youkai seemed quite calm. "It seems Rokubi is here," said Kyuubi as she released Naruto, though the glance she gave Naruto warned him to stay put. The door to the hall opened to admit a man who had yellow striped tiger ears sticking out of his electric blue hair as well as six yellow tiger tails that looked like lightning bolts standing up stiff behind him. A little girl who could only be his daughter followed him, though she seemed to glide over the ground due to small thunderclouds that covered her feet.

"Ah, looks like some of the gang is missing," said Rokubi as he walked right past the other Bijū to sit down in his chair and prop his feet on the table.

"Well, you know some of us have to make sure our human hosts survive the trip here," said Gobi.

"And who are all the brats?" asked Rokubi. A sudden sniffling from Tenkou caught his attention and he started to panic as he saw her eyes watering up. "I didn't mean it like that!" he yelped while waving his hands. "I don't think you're a brat! I love kids!" he continued.

"We'll save the theatrics until later," said a sweet voice as an elderly hawk woman with four feathered tails entered the room with two people following her. One was an old man in a simple white yukata bearing a strange black mark on his nose and cheeks. A young boy who looked just like him walked behind him, wearing an Iwakagure Hitai-ate around his right bicep.

"More humans??? This is making me ill!" declared Nanbi as she raised a handkerchief to her nose as if to ward off an unpleasant smell.

"Do us all a favor and croak already you old hag, your daughter would do a better job than you any day!" growled a three-tailed kappa that had been sitting silently the whole time, before he took a swig from the sake jug beside him. The kappa wore the attire of a fisherman or sailor and had arms full of muscle from long days at sea. An eye patch covered his right eye, adding to his rough appearance.

"Shut up Sanbi, I don't need an old sailor lecturing me! And where is my daughter?" snarled Nanbi.

A younger panthress dressed in a yukata ran into the room, gasping slightly from her exertion. "Gomen nasai Oka-san, I got lost," she explained

"See that it doesn't happen again Anya (Dark Night)," muttered Nanbi.

"So all we're waiting for now is Hebitsukai (Snake charmer)," said Kyuubi as the rest of the Bijū took their seats while their companions sat in chairs behind them.

"I saw her talking to Manda-san, something about his contract holder being destroyed and the contract being lost," said Anya softly.

"Then let's start the meeting," said Kyuubi as all the Bijū pressed their hands against a plate in the table before them and channeled their Youki into it. A floating head appeared above the center to the table and surveyed the Bijū.

"Meeting 451 of the Bijū, Gensokuzai (Moderator) presiding. Please state name and any visitors in order of tails, starting with Ichibi," said the head as it focused on Shukaku and Gaara.

"Shukaku no Tanuki. Jinchuuriki Sabaku no Gaara," said the Tanuki lord.

"Daioujou (Peaceful death) no Nekomata, Jinchuuriki Ni Yugito," said the nekomata.

"Isonade no Kappa," grunted the kappa before taking another drink of his sake.

"Hichou (Flying bird) no Taka (Hawk), Jinchuuriki Takagari (Falconry), heir Takajou (Falconer)," said the winged woman.

"Gogyou (the Five elements) no Ookami, Jinchuuriki Tenkou," said Gobi.

"Ooarashi (Raging Storm) no Raijuu, heiress Kouten (Stormy Weather)," said Rokubi.

"Makura (total darkness/shortsightedness) no Kurohyou (black panther), heiress Anya," said Nanbi.

The door to the room opened and a vision of loveliness walked into the room. She had long green hair that fell to the ground and the blue qípáo she wore accented her body in a way that had Takajou swallowing heavily. "Hebitsukai (Snake Charmer) no Hebi, I apologize for the delay, one of my clan leaders had an important matter he needed to discuss with me," she said in a gentle voice as she took her seat and sent her chakra into the plate in front of her.

"Kasei (Force of Flames) no Kitsune, heir Uzumaki Naruto," said Kyuubi.

"In accordance with ancient Youkai law, all nine Bijū are present and accounted for," said Gensokuzai before the table seemed to open up and revealed a tenth side in between Shukaku and Kyuubi. "What is the first order of business?"

"I wish to call Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku no Gaara to explain to us the incidents around my father's final death," said Hebitsukai, glancing at both boys.

Naruto and Gaara both stood up and approached the new table side, then Gaara gestured for Naruto to go first. "Well, the first thing I even knew about Yamata no Orochi being present was when we broke into the room my mother had sealed him five hundred years ago…" Naruto said as he started to explain the story of the fight with the Orochi empowered Orochimaru.

(0o0o0)

"This is the bad thing about being so proficient in weapons," said Tenten as she cleaned the numerous kunai and shuriken in her arsenal.

"You're preaching to the choir," muttered Aki as she finished polishing and sharpening Usuba (Thin Blade). The two girls were currently in the back of the weapons shop run by Tenten's family and making sure their gear was in tip top shape.

"I've got snacks!" chirped Akemi as she walked in carrying a tray of cookies and glasses of milk for all three girls to share.

"Hey Akemi, why aren't you spending the day with Kiba?" asked Tenten as she bit into one of her mother's delicious chocolate chip cookies.

"Kiba-kun said he wanted to have his sister give Akamaru a checkup, he'll be meeting me later for lunch so I'm hanging out with you two until he's ready," said Akemi. "Haku-nee-chan is spending time with Sasuke and Mikoto-san, so I've got nothing better to do."

"Well, after we're done with our stuff, we'll give your Tetsugen a tune up," said Tenten.

(0o0o0)

"… and then we rode Suzaku and Pyreforge out of the cavern," said Naruto. He had just finished explaining everything that had happened and he could tell his story had impressed several of the Bijū. Sanbi and Rokubi were chuckling at Orochi's death, while Tenkou was giving him a low level fan girl stare of adoration. Nanbi didn't look to impressed, but then neither did Nibi. However, the nekomata had obviously been interested in the story and listened intently while the panther woman had kept rolling her eyes and making dismissive noises.

Finally, Hebitsukai broke the silence and said, "Naruto-kun, I thank you for your service to the snake tribe. While my father still existed in some form outside of Hell, we were still bound by many of his laws and decrees. Now I can finally make changes to the clan and improve it." With this, the serpent mistress rose from her seat and bowed to Naruto.

Yonbi gently coughed and said, "This ability to absorb Orochi's youki disturbs me. Some of us, myself included, are already sealed inside humans. What's to stop other humans from draining our powers?"

"Actually, that was the next thing I wanted to bring up, but this is something I only wish for the nine of us to discuss, so I must ask our guests to leave us alone until we call for you," said Kyuubi. "You are free to wander the market section; we'll send a messenger to find you when we need you again." The various Jinchuuriki and clan heirs rose from their seats and left, aside from Takagari, who Yonbi revealed was her mate as well as Jinchuuriki and old enough to offer some insight into the discussions. Naruto was the last of the group to exit the room and he heard his mother say, "There is an organization called Akatsuki…" before the door closed.

(0o0o0)

Naruto started as he felt a small body latch onto his tails and looked down to find a slightly scared Tenkou clutching them. "I guess you want to stay with me, right?" he asked the wolf girl. When she simply nodded, Naruto ruffled her hair, earning him a giggle. "Come on, I'm a little hungry and I want to explore this place!" he said.

"May I accompany you?" asked a calm voice, causing Naruto to turn and see Yugito behind him.

"Sure, if Tenkou-chan doesn't mind," replied Naruto, glancing at the wolf girl, who nodded shyly. The trio then walked out of the palace and into the market place.

"Ano, Otou-san said that we aren't allowed to fight here, this is a neutral area," said Tenkou.

"Thanks for the warning, but I don't plan on fighting unless I'm forced to," said Naruto before his stomach rumbled. "Hehehe, guess it's time to eat!" he said. "Do the two of you have any preferences?" he asked.

"Not really, I like most foods, especially fresh fish and sushi," said Yugito.

"I mostly hunt for my food, so something cooked would be nice," said Tenkou softly.

"Hmm… I've got it!" said Naruto as he began sniffing the air. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he exclaimed as several shadow clones formed. "Alright, you guys know what to do!" he said as he gave each of them some cash. Each of the clones ran off in different directions while Naruto led his companions to a small open area set aside for people to sit and eat. That had several benches around a table.

"Why did you send the clones?" asked Yugito.

"Because I could smell lots of good stuff and this saves time," said Naruto. Soon, his clones came running back, each with different containers of things. Soon, a large selection of food was laid out for the group. Gyōza, Onigiri, Dango, Takoyaki, Nikuman, and yakitori were the side dishes, with sushi for Yugito, several Okonomiyaki in various flavors for Tenkou, and of course, several bowls of ramen for Naruto. As the three ate, they exchanged life stories. Naruto frowned as he learned that Yugito had been mistreated by the villagers of Kumo until her father managed to become the Godaime Raikage after leading a rebellion against the Yondaime Raikage, who had covered up his attempt to kidnap Hinata by declaring the kidnapper a missing nin. The village was much calmer and peaceful, and Yugito was treated with more respect, especially after she saved her father from an assassination attempt by the Yondaime Raikage's followers.

Tenkou confirmed her father's comment on her fleeing Kusa and living in the wild. Kurotsume had helped raised her and she was much happier living with the wolf pack than with humans.

Just as they were finishing their meal, the smell of ozone alerted all three to the arrival of Kouten. The Raiju girl was walking along eating bits of various meats off of a skewer in her hand and paused as she saw the three sitting together. "Would you mind if I joined you?" she asked.

"Not at all," said Yugito as she gestured to the bench opposite her, since Tenkou was sharing Naruto's bench with him.

"Thank you," said the Raiju girl as she took the offered seat. She politely accepted the offer of a pork bun from Naruto and chewed on it happily before swallowing. "Ah, don't get food this good very often back home!" she said. "Otou-san is a terrible cook and I'm not much better. Oka-san is trying to teach me, but I'm a slow learner."

"I know the feeling. Oka-san has forbidden Tayuya-nee-san from cooking anything but fried rice or stirring dishes until they're ready. I can only do basic camp cooking," said Naruto.

"So the future Hokage can't cook?" asked Gaara as he sauntered up with a squid on a stick as well as several sticks of yakitori resting in a small sand holder by his side to leave his arms free.

"Hey, I can cook, just not as good as Hinata-chan! My nose is sensitive enough I get dizzy around a spice rack and can barely manage in a full kitchen!" exclaimed Naruto as Gaara assumed a lotus position on hovering sand cloud, which instantly attracted Tenkou's attention. She poked at the sand cloud, wondering how it stayed in mid air. She let out a short eep as some sand formed a seat beneath her and carried her around the group for a few laps before slowing to a stop to the sound of her giggles of delight.

"What's a Hokage? Is it something good to eat?" asked Tenkou, causing all three ninja to laugh.

"No Tenkou-chan, the Hokage is the leader of Naruto's village, Konohagakure no Sato," explained Yugito. "The leader of Kumogakure no Sato where I live is the Raikage, while the leader of Gaara's home village of Sunagakure no Sato is the Kazekage. There is also a Mizukage who rules over Kirigakure while the Tsuchikage is the leader of Iwagakure no Sato. But I haven't met either of them…" she said.

"Be glad, the Rokudaime Tsuchikage is a bastard," said Takajou as he jumped down from a nearby rooftop where he had been listening in. "He treats Otou-san like a weapon because of Oka-san's power within him!"

Naruto had tensed up when the Iwa shinobi landed near them, but when Takajou made no move to attack, Naruto relaxed and asked. "Isn't your Oka-san Yonbi-sama?" When the Iwa nin nodded, Naruto's face adopted a look of confusion. "Forgive me for asking, but how the heck does a Bijū sealed in a guy have a kid?"

"I technically have two mothers. My human mother was a Jounin who was a shaman, able to wield Shikigami in battle, however as a result of an enemy attack she was unable to bear children. Hichou-oka-san used some of her chakra to repair the damage and Oka-san carried me to term, only to die in childbirth due to an inept doctor. Hichou-oka-san actually pulled her spirit into the seal on Otou-san and merged the part of my mother's spirit with herself so part of Oka-san would live on. Since I never really knew her and I'm human with some youkai blood, I just call their combined form Hichou-oka-san," explained Takajou before he bit into a stick of Dango.

"Interesting, I guess I'm not the only ninja with a Bijū for a mother," said Naruto.

"I guess so, we'll have to see if the hawk can beat the kitsune," said Takajou.

"Feel free to fight me the next time we meet," said Naruto with a kitsune grin.

"Is fighting all that guys think about?" asked Kouten with a raised eye brow.

"No, they also think about food and sex," answered Yugito.

"What's sex?" asked Tenkou, tilting her head to the side much like Naruto did when confused, causing the entire group to freeze at the thought of explaining sex to a five-year-old girl, except for the Raiju girl.

"Well, Tenkou-chan, sex is how babies are made…" Kouten started to explain, only to have Gaara's sand cover her mouth.

"You'll have to ask your father about that, he should be the one to tell you," he said seriously. Tenkou blinked and nodded, accepting the serious answer.

"You humans are strange," said Kouten as she stared at the three Jinchuuriki and two hanyou.

"Yeah, that's because we have shorter lives than youkai and we have to enjoy them to the fullest," said Naruto with a grin. Kouten considered this for a moment before nodding.

"That makes sense," said the Raiju girl.

Naruto's ears suddenly started twitching and he scowled before saying, "Excuse me, I have to beat up some jackasses who don't understand what a lady means when she says she isn't interested," and climbing to his feet. Yugito was also scowling and caused three claws of electricity to form on each of her hands.

"I hear it to," said the Kumo kunoichi before she darted off followed by Naruto. The rest of the group looked at one another and quickly followed them.

(0o0o0)

"Come on kitty cat, let's have some fun!" said an incubus as he leered at a panicking Anya. Unlike the Incubus that served Xaria, this one had greasy hair that made him look like a slob and an open leather jacket and leather pants. While his face and body would be called handsome, the look on his face was disgusting. Behind him were several Shikima whose loincloths hid their various tentacles. The only reason Anya hadn't torn through the group already was because the obi of her yukata had been torn off by the Incubus and she was forced to hold it closed to keep the perverted demons from seeing her body.

"I already told you, no! Now leave me alone!" yelled Anya.

"Oh, I think you're confused," said the incubus as he managed to grab her arms with one hand and pin them above her head, allowing the yukata to fall open. Like most youkai females, Anya had a gorgeous body and she accented this with simple white lingerie that contrasted nicely with the dark fur covering her body. "Wearing something like that just screams you want some attention!" laughed the incubus as his gang members chuckled.

However, the gang's fun was interrupted as a shuriken struck the incubus's arm, causing him to release Anya and whirl around to spot Naruto glaring at them from the opening of the alleyway. "Alright you teme, let her go!" snared Naruto.

"Shut up half breed, you shouldn't come to our turf and mess with us!" snarled the incubus before motioning for his men to get Naruto while he turned to catch Anya again, only to see her no longer there and had used Naruto's distraction to leap away. "Alright boys, let's skin us some fox!" snarled the incubus. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the gang and took off, leading them on a merry chase that eventually ended in a dead end alley where Naruto turned to face them. "End of the line fox brat!" snarled the incubus as the gang pulled daggers from their sheaths.

"Yeah, it's the end of the line for you!" said Naruto before Yugito, Gaara, Takajou, and Kouten dropped down to block the gang's escape route. Tenkou was safely perched on Gaara's sand cloud watching her friends.

As Naruto unsheathed Nenshousaiga, the incubus sneered, even as Takajou brought out a pair of nunchaku and Kouten produced a spear that crackled with lightning. Gaara simply formed his sand halberd that he used against Orochimaru. Yugito simply activated her lightning claws again, but this time she had slipped on a pair of claws to give her more reach and slashing power. Faced with five weapons, the gang of would be rapists weren't so cocky any more.

Five minutes later, the group exited the alley, leaving the Shikima and Incubus embedded in the walls and street of the alley. "Ah, it felt good to let off some stress on them!" said Kouten. It was then that the group found Anya standing nervously near the entrance to the alley.

"Arigatogozaimasu, I know you have no reason to help me after the things my mother said," the panther woman said as she bowed, "but I am grateful for your help."

"You aren't your mother, and you have given us no reason to doubt you yet," said Yugito as she held up her arms so Tenkou could jump off of Gaara's sand cloud and land in them. The wolf girl giggled as Yugito set her down, causing Anya to smile. Just then, a loud howl was heard from the Bijū palace.

"That's Oka-san, she's calling us back!" said Naruto as the whole group headed towards the palace together.

(0o0o0)

Hinata and Hanabi were currently walking around Konoha together when a portal opened in front of them and out stepped Naruto, Kyuubi, and a gorgeous woman with green hair and a blue dress. Hinata instantly ran up to Naruto and gave him a welcome back hug, which he returned with a kiss on her cheek. The strange woman giggled while Kyuubi simply smiled. "Hinata, I'd like you to meet Hebitsukai, the new Hachibi," said Naruto as he gestured to the snake woman. Hinata immediately bowed, until Hebitsukai waved her hand.

"Please, I'm just here as a guest of Kyuubi-san tonight, don't act like I'm royalty," she said.

Hinata stopped her bowing, then noticed a small figure that seemed to be hiding behind Kyuubi's tails. Following Hinata's gaze, Kyuubi smiled and gently used her tails to push Tenkou out from behind her. "Hinata-chan, meet Tenkou-chan, the container of my old friend Gobi. She's here to spend some time with her sister Kurotsume. Your family is invited to join us as well as your cousin's team and Aki-chan," said Kyuubi. Hinata smiled at the wolf girl, who still seemed a bit shy until Hinata let Tenkou sniff her hand like a dog would. After a few sniffs Tenkou was hugging Hinata since she smelled of medicine, Naruto, and lavender. Hanabi soon got her own hug from Tenkou, causing her to giggle and scratch Tenkou's ears. "Hinata, please take Tenkou-chan to meet her sister, we'll see you at dinner tonight," said Kyuubi. Hinata nodded and took Tenkou's hand to lead the wolf girl to Gai's house, where Kurotsume was making sure her mate rested after the hard battle the previous day.

(0o0o0)

Tenkou and Shinja quickly became fast friends after they met at the party. Their innocent natures caused them to bond instantly and they were friends for life after five minutes. Together they managed to charm many adults into giving them extra desserts and fell asleep with their bellies bulging from food. Kurotsume carried her little sister home while Kyuubi brought Shinja into her temporary room at the Uzumaki house. Kyuubi had taken some DNA samples from Shinja and was currently running them against the village records so she could try to find if the girl had a biological mother who would want to take her in, until then Shinja was staying with the Uzumaki family.

Hinata wandered away from the rest of the group and found Naruto perched on the roof of the house gazing at the stars. Hinata leapt up to join her boyfriend and sat down in his lap so he could wrap his arms and tails around her. "Why aren't you inside with everyone?" asked Hinata.

"I just had the feeling everything is going to be really chaotic soon and I wanted to savor some peace and quiet out here," replied Naruto. "Now that you're here I just want to stay like this and watch the stars."

"I like that idea," said Hinata as she rested the back of her head on Naruto's shoulder. The two gazed into the stars until they fell asleep and were found and brought inside by Kyuubi.

(0o0o0)

The next morning found all of the Konoha fifteen and their sensei as well as Tayuya, Anko, Shinja, and Hebitsukai sitting in the large meeting room normally used for council meetings. Kyuubi, Ken, Jiraiya, and Tsunade sat at the head of the table with numerous scrolls, papers, and folders with them.

"Alright everyone, I know that you've just had to fight in the battle the other day and are not fully recovered, but recent information demands we step up some plans," said Tsunade in a serious voice.

"First of all is that I have gotten the DNA test results for Shinja with me," said Kyuubi as she held up a folder. "Shinja, I'm happy to say that your mother is alive and well here in Konoha," she continued with a smile.

"Really? Who is my Oka-san?" demanded Shinja. In all the nine years she had been alive since leaving the giant tube that she had been born in she had never had someone to call mother and wondered who her mother was.

"Your mother is one of our most renowned Kunoichi and actually an obvious choice for Orochimaru to use since he wanted to make sure you were stronger than normal girls with out the smaller chakra reserves kunoichi usually have. There is only one clan that has those characteristics to their women, the Mitarashi clan," said Kyuubi, causing Anko's eyes to widen and her jaw to drop. "Orochimaru chose Anko as his apprentice, so it makes sense that after she survived his curse seal he would want to pass her strengths on to you Shinja. Anko is your mother, though you'll always be welcome at the Uzumaki house."

"Oka-san?" whispered Shinja as she stared at Anko for a second before seeming to teleport into Anko's arms. The purple haired kunoichi simply hugged her newfound daughter to her, a part of her that had long felt empty now being full. Everyone smiled at the joyful sight of mother and daughter together and gave them a few minutes to compose themselves. Shinja remained sitting in Anko's lap with a huge grin on her face while Anko's smile seemed to light up the room around her.

"The next order of business is the upcoming Chunin exams in Suna. I want all of you who have not been promoted to Chunin yet to advance as fast as possible," said Tsunade. "As such, Teams Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai will be performing C and low level B rank missions only. Kakashi and Rin, you have been accepted into ANBU again to handle A and S rank missions. Sasuke, Haku, Shikamaru, and Neji will continue taking B and low level A rank missions with Anko and Tayuya," she continued.

"What about Hinata-chan and me?" demanded Naruto.

"The two of you are going to be preparing for a long term S rank mission," said Ken, causing everyone to stare at him in shock. "Akatsuki is after you, but Ero-sensei's spy network says they won't be active for three more years. You're going to use that time to train. We'll explain more to you in private." Naruto gulped and nodded, his hand grabbing Hinata's under the table.

"The last thing I have to say is congratulations on your performances during our one day war with Otogakure. All of you did an excellent job of backing one another up and working together. You have made Konoha proud and proved your will of fire. If it were in my power I'd make you all Chunin. However, the other countries will have been in a panic since we wiped out Otogakure, so I can't do anything at the moment. You're all dismissed, aside from Naruto and Hinata." The people not named filed out, Anko taking Shinja to the Uzumaki house to get the clothes Kyuubi had given her and then leading her to Anko's house, which was just the right size for two people.

Kyuubi then put up a privacy barrier and made sure nobody was within range of her senses as well as asking Hinata to scan for spies with her Byakugan. As soon as the Hyuuga girl finished her scan without finding anything, Kyuubi pulled out a map. "This is the world. Up until now, all the maps you two have seen are for this area," she said as she pointed to a small island in the middle of the ocean. "The elemental countries are hidden in a massive Genjutsu from the time youkai brought this land up from the bottom of the sea as a sanctuary from humans. To protect them they used ancient magic to hide the island and keep humans away for some time before the first humans with the ability to use chakra found the island. Since then, the Elemental Countries have been acknowledged as a separate set of nations neutral in all of the world's political affairs, though we still hold a trace allegiance to Japan where youkai and ninja originated. This is where the two of you will be going to train with Jiraiya."

"I've got a friend who is a Master of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū (School of Indiscriminate Grappling) and he promised to train my student at some point after I helped him out of some trouble. But by the time Ken was ready for the training we were to busy to go, so now I'm taking you to train there. The Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū is perfectly suited to you Naruto and Hinata can improve her taijutsu style as well," said Jiraiya.

"Awesome, when do we leave?" asked Naruto.

"Not for seven months," said Tsunade. "In that time, you will be studying everything you will need to know to fit into Japanese life under the cover of a normal student."

"Seven months? How is that enough time? I know that a normal student would have had ten years to acquire all that knowledge." demanded Naruto.

"Simple the Kage Bunshin," said Ken. Seeing Naruto and Hinata's confused faces, he continued, "Naruto, surely by now you've noticed when your clones are dismissed or destroyed you get the knowledge of their experiences, right?" When Naruto nodded, Ken continued, "This can be used to shorten the time for any training that doesn't involve physical training. So if you have a clone read a book, the knowledge will be absorbed into you when the clone is dismissed."

"So by making a clone and having it do training with me, I effectively double my training time…" said Naruto.

"Exactly! Now all you'll have to do is have your clones each read one book per day and you'll get the knowledge after they dismiss themselves," said Ken.

"Umm, what about me? I won't be able to use Kage Bunshin," said Hinata.

"Hinata, your reserves are actually large enough at this point that you should be able to create a few clones, not as many as my kit, but enough to help speed up your training," said Kyuubi. "You've seen Naruto use the jutsu with your Byakugan, so you should know how to mold the chakra correctly. Just watch him form a single clone to be safe, then try it yourself." The two did as instructed and one puff of smoke later there was a second Hinata beside the original.

The clone instantly gave a squeal of delight and hugged her creator. "You did it! Congratulations!" she exclaimed. Hinata hugged her clone back, noticing Naruto scowling slightly.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" asked the original Hinata, causing her clone to look up nervously.

"My clones are never that friendly and nice, every time I got the jutsu wrong and they came out deformed when I first learned it they insulted me," muttered Naruto.

"Poor Naruto-kun," said Hinata and her clone before they both hugged Naruto, causing the fox boy to grin at the sensation of Hinata hugging him twice over.

"Good job Hinata. Inside these scrolls are the books you will need to read. I recommend no more that five clones per day, each one reading one different book," said Tsunade as she handed both of them a scroll.

"Hokage-sama, how will this long term mission effect me becoming Chunin?" asked Hinata.

"You'll have to take the exams after the mission, but you should blow everyone away," said Tsunade with a smile. "I included several of the manuals I'll be using to train Haku and Sakura while you're gone, so you can study those to improve your medical techniques in Japan."

"Arigato Hokage-sama!" said Hinata.

"Alright, now get to studying, and remember to tell nobody the details of your mission, Akatsuki probably has spies everywhere," said Tsunade.

"I don't get it, why is Akatsuki so interested in me?" asked Naruto.

"My contacts have confirmed that Akatsuki wants to gain control of all the Bijū," said Jiraiya solemnly. "But they're not stupid enough to go after your mother since she could fight them for days before going down."

"The reason they want you Naruto is because of my Hoshi no Tama (Star Ball). When two kitsune mate, their Hoshi no Tama temporarily merge together in the kit's body to help it develop the youki reserves it needs. However, since you are a kitsune hanyou my Hoshi no Tama left part of itself inside you. Akatsuki can extract my Hoshi no tama from you and then control me. The little one inside me right now will also have some of my Hoshi no Tama, as will any other kits I bear without your father becoming a kitsune," said Kyuubi.

"I understand Oka-san, they'll never get a hold of me!" promised Naruto.

"Good, now start studying with Hinata in my library!" said Kyuubi. The two teens nodded and Naruto took Hinata's hand before they vanished in a burst of fox fire.

(0o0o0)

"Alright, let's get started!" said Naruto as he reappeared with Hinata inside a comfy looking library room with several cozy chairs spread throughout the shelves and a large fire place.

"Where are we Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata as she saw the Uzumaki crest on the fireplace above the room's fireplace, but this was no room she'd ever seen in the Uzumaki house.

"This is Oka-san's private study, where you can only enter if you posses Uzumaki kitsune blood and know a form of Shunshin or are brought by someone who fits those requirements. All the scrolls in here are all the techniques my parents know, but they're protected by a sealing jutsu that keeps me out. We can study here and only Otou-san and Oka-san can come here. There is an attached kitchen that Oka-san has enchanted to never be empty and the contents of the cupboards and fridge will always be fresh. There is also an attached sleeping room, so we don't have to leave until we're done with the studying unless there is an emergency," explained Naruto.

"This is incredible!" gasped Hinata before she walked up to one of the windows and blinked upon seeing the nearby back of the Uzumaki house. "Naruto-kun, where are we? I can clearly see your house, but there are no buildings around the back of it!"

"That's because this is located inside that large oak tree at the edge of the training grounds, Oka-san says the tree's life force is what helps sustain this place with the food and other stuff," said Naruto.

"I see," said Hinata before unrolling the scroll Kyuubi had given her. The scroll was very long, containing what was easily 100 books arranged by subject matter as well as twenty medical jutsu books in a separately marked section.

"Well, let's start reading," said Naruto as he made ten clones, each of which summoned a different book from his scroll and sat down in the various chairs around the library to start reading. Hinata followed his example and her clones soon joined Naruto's clones while the originals shared a comfy couch.

(0o0o0)

"Ok Shinja, tell me about yourself, since I missed out on raising you," said Anko as she helped Shinja put away the clothes Kyuubi had given her. Shinja was currently wearing a white haori and hakama set (Think white Inuyasha outfit) and had her hair kept back with a ribbon (Ala Sakura before Forest of Death).

"Well, I don't have any hobbies, Orochimaru never let me do anything besides train, sleep, and eat," said the girl as she glanced at her new mother. Shinja had stopped calling Orochimaru her father quickly after getting treated with love and kindness, so Anko smiled as her daughter continued, "I do know some Kenjutsu, but it's not as impressive as Orochimaru's. I have signed the snake summon contract and Manda-sama actually likes me. He calls me hatchling and says that if my life is ever in danger to summon him. I get along well with the rest of the snake clan, they were my only friends when Tayuya-nee-chan was away."

"Well, I've never summoned Manda myself, but if he'll listen to you maybe we can work something out," said Anko before she saw Shinja open a certain drawer in the dresser Anko had given her that had formerly been used to store Anko's ninja gear and that Anko had forgotten to clean out.

"Oka-san, what's this?" asked Shinja curiously as she held up a small egg shaped piece of plastic connected to a hand held remote.

Anko groaned, she now had to give her nine-year-old daughter the birds and the bees talk. Quickly browsing through her scroll library, Anko found anatomy charts of a man and a woman and started explaining the biological facts of life to Shinja.

(0o0o0)

"You know, I never pictured you acting like this except during my more interesting dreams," said Kakashi as he wrapped his arms around Rin. The two Jounin had just finished re-enacting all of Kakashi's favorite scenes from the first book of the Icha Icha series and were currently resting to recover their energy.

"You're just lucky I decided to mate with you after the scare you gave me in Otogakure. How could you crush your microphone?" demanded Rin as she rolled over so they were face to face.

"Well, I didn't want you to hear me screaming as I was burned or crushed by the explosion of Hachibi' chakra from Orochimaru's body," said Kakashi, a blush covering is unmasked face.

"Just be glad Hinata had those two soldier pills, otherwise you all would be dead," said Rin.

"I know, but we aren't dead and still have five volumes to act out!" said Kakashi before he started kissing Rin's neck. Rin simply moaned as she fisted her hands in his silver hair, especially when his kisses moved lower to the rest of her body. Luckily for Kakashi's neighbors, he had put up a sound barrier on his room so they wouldn't be disturbed by the sex marathon.

(0o0o0)

"And that Shinja, is how babies are made!" finished up Anko.

Shinja looked thoughtful for a moment before grabbing a kunai and shuriken. "So this is the shinobi," she said, holding up the kunai, "and this is the kunoichi…" while holding up the shuriken, "And this is how they go together?" she asked as she pushed the kunai blade into the hole of the shuriken.

A sweat drop formed on the back of Anko's head as her daughter boiled a half hour explanation down to a simple puppet show with ninja tools. "Well yes…" she said, blushing slightly. "That is the simple version."

"So why do you have this?" asked Shinja as she held up the plastic device.

Anko rubbed her head before pulling her daughter into her arms as she flopped down onto Shinja's bed. "Shinja, you have to understand that after Orochimaru marked me with the curse seal, very few people would trust me aside from the Uzumaki family, the Hyuuga family, and a few close friends. If Ken-sama hadn't met Kyuubi-sama, I would have probably married him since he helped me with my recovery. But because of my history, finding some who will love me is very hard. That device is so I can give myself some pleasure and release from sexual frustration when I was alone during the night."

"How can anyone not love you? You're a wonderful mother, for all you became my mom earlier today," said Shinja as she hugged Anko.

"Thanks Shinja, but it is human nature to fear what they don't understand, and many people don't understand me. Maybe someday I'll meet a man who won't fear me and he'll become your father," said Anko as she returned the hug.

It was at this moment that a knock was heard at Anko's door. Curious, the purple haired woman went to answer, only to find Kyuubi and Hebitsukai at the door. "Anko, we've got some important information we need to talk about," said Kyuubi. Anko nodded and lead them into the sitting room, where Shinja ran up to Kyuubi and jumped into her lap, overjoyed to see her auntie again.

"Kyuubi-san asked me to take a look at some of the test results for Shinja and confirm her findings," said the snake woman before turning to Shinja. "Shinja-chan, do you know Orochimaru had youki in his system when he took the sample of his DNA used to make you?" she asked. When the little girl shook her head, Hebitsukai sighed. "It seems he had already absorbed enough of my father, Yamata-no-Orochi's power to classify as a hanyou, and that chakra was passed on to you. You are, in a strange set of circumstances, my little sister and next in line to inherit my position as Hachibi."

"You're telling me my daughter has the blood of the second most powerful Bijū flowing through her veins?" asked Anko. When the two Bijū nodded, Anko went to the kitchen and removed a bottle of sake to poor a cup for herself and her guests, while giving Shinja a glass of the peach juice that was her favorite drink. "So how will this effect Shinja?" she asked.

"Shinja will have as much stamina as Naruto in time, plus large chakra reserves. If she had to, she could summon Manda-san twice in one day if that is all she did that day in terms of ninjutsu," said Hebitsukai. "Her soft scale skin is a small mark, since as snakes we don't have ears like kitsune or tanuki. She might grow a tail later as she becomes stronger, but I'm not sure. That's all I can think of."

"Well I don't care, if the villagers try to treat her like a demon I'll show them why I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin!" snarled Anko as she hugged Shinja, who had migrated back to her birth mother's lap during the explanation.

"They will also feel the wrath of my husband and me," promised Kyuubi as she gently ran her hand through Shinja's hair. "And I'm sure Naruto, Hinata, and the others won't be far behind us." Shinja smiled and simply snuggled into her mother's arms more, knowing that everyone would keep her safe.

(0o0o0)

"Oh man, that took forever," exclaimed Naruto as he closed the book he had been reading on the basics of science. It was now night time and Naruto glanced up to see all his clones either done with their books or close to being done with them. Hinata and her clones had all finished and were currently working together in the kitchen to make a large dinner for the studying pair since they would need their energy the next day.

After a meal of Hinata's delicious home made ramen, Naruto washed the dishes and the duo proceeded to their rooms to rest and dispel the jutsu. The rush of information caused both Naruto and Hinata to black out as their minds tried to cope with assimilating all the information.

(0o0o0)

The next three months featured a similar routine for Naruto and Hinata until Kyuubi appeared and gave them a test based on the books they had read. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?" demanded Naruto as he stared at the thick test packet.

"Because it would put more stress on you," said Kyuubi. "This test will let us see what information you retain best and can help us figure out where you should focus your studies in the future." Naruto grumbled but took the test with Hinata.

"How did we do Kyuubi-sama?" asked Hinata as the kitsune queen finished grading their tests.

"Well, Naruto has absorbed more scientific knowledge, Japanese history, physics, and has acceptable English skills. Hinata, you have soaked up everything you read on Biology and Chemistry, probably due to your medic nin training, as well as lots of Japanese cultural things that have survived to this day here in the elemental countries. You're English is much better than Naruto's level, but not perfect. Together you've both got all major fields covered, so you can help one another with your school work, but I suggest studying up on the areas you're weak in," said Kyuubi. Naruto and Hinata nodded and got to work, though Kyuubi was pleased to see that in three months the constant use of Kage Bunshin had allowed Hinata to make up to ten clones easily.

(0o0o0)

Three months later, Kyuubi came back with a new test for the study partners. This time, both Naruto and Hinata scored well on all their subjects, though better in the ones they had gotten good scores in before. "Well done you two. These scores are perfect for getting you into the school you'll be attending as a cover. You can now come back to the house and we'll finish a few details before having a diner together with your friends," said Kyuubi.

Once the group was back at the Uzumaki house, much to the delight of the rest of the family, Kyuubi drew Hinata aside. "Is something the matter Kyuubi-san?" asked Hinata.

"Only that your eyes stand out to much for this mission. I need to take a few minutes to alter your DNA so you have normal pupils and people won't think you're blind," said Kyuubi gently. "You will still be able to use your Byakugan, but from now on you will have a visible pupil."

"Okay, will you need to knock me out to do this?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, I don't want you awake for this, there's a chance changing your DNA while you're awake could cause your eyes to stop working if they're absorbing light," said Kyuubi as she gestured for Hinata to lay down on a comfy couch. Hinata did so and felt a powerful Genjutsu fall onto her, sending her drifting off to sleep. It only seemed like seconds later she was opening her eyes to see Naruto staring at her curiously.

"Wow Hinata-chan, your eyes are even prettier now!" he exclaimed before holding up a mirror for her to see. Hinata blinked as she stared at the lavender pupils she now possessed.

"This is going to take some getting used to," said Hinata.

"Yes, but you're still really pretty," said Naruto before he kissed her cheek.

When the three returned to the rest of the party, Hinata's new eyes were the subject of much interest, though Kyuubi made sure to mention she wouldn't alter anyone else's eyes for cosmetic purposes.

(0o0o0)

Naruto and Hinata's next month was spent getting numerous treatments to make sure they would be immune to every disease possible in the less environmentally friendly Japan. This of course meant many shots for both of them, which had Naruto freaking out. Kyuubi had to chase him down several times when a nurse brought her non-pediatric needles that scared Naruto and caused him to bolt. He couldn't stand large needles, they had to be small and pretty much impossible to feel before he'd let his mom get them near him and she was the only one besides Tsunade he trusted to jab the needle into his flesh and only if Hinata was holding his hand. When Sasuke first saw this after moving in with the Uzumaki family, he laughed until Naruto threatened to tie him up outside the academy without any clothes for his fan girls to ravage.

It was two weeks before Naruto and Hinata were scheduled to leave that everyone in the Uzumaki house was woken up by a cry of pain from Kyuubi and Ken rapidly pounding on doors to get up and heading to the hospital before he used Hiraishin to teleport there with his wife. By the time the rest of the Uzumaki family and the Uchiha family arrived at the hospital, Ken was already being forced to reinforce his hands with all his chakra to keep his wife's claws from slicing them apart and avoid having his bones crushed while a slightly sleepy Tsunade was overseeing the birth. Hinata and Sakura were quickly summoned to help and gain valuable experience and joined Haku in assisting Tsunade. Haku kept a cloth on Kyuubi's head nice and cool, while Hinata used her Byakugan to monitor the baby's position. Sakura was constantly at Tsunade's side and helping her, eyes wide at the sight of a baby being born in front of her.

Outside Kyuubi's room, Naruto was leaning against Mikoto in a doze while Akemi sat in Tayuya's lap and the two red heads rested on Mikoto's other shoulder. Sasuke was leaning back against the wall, his eyes fluttering as he struggles to stay awake. Gishou had simply curled up in Naruto's lap and fallen asleep. At five in the morning the door of the room opened to reveal a smiling Tsunade. "Alright, Uzumaki only for now," she said before Naruto, Akemi, and Tayuya slipped into the room. They saw a radiant Kyuubi holding two small bundles with Ken sitting on the side of her bed holding her shoulder. Hinata, Haku, and Sakura were sitting on the spare bed in the room, recovering from assisting in he birth.

"Naruto, Tayuya, Akemi, say hello to your new brother and sister," said Kyuubi with a brilliant smile as she lifted part of the blanket to reveal two orange haired babies with the same fox ears and whisker marks as Naruto. "Your little brother Haruki (Sunlight Life) was born a few minutes before your sister Haruko (Sunlight child) both of them just as the sun was rising as if to welcome them into the world."

"They're adorable!" squealed Akemi as she gently tickled Haruko's chin. The little fox girl sniffed the finger and one of her little hands reached up to grasp it tightly. "Kawaii!" exclaimed Akemi.

Naruto was staring into Haruki's eyes as they regarded each other. "Hey little bro, I'm your brother Naruto. I won't be around for long since I'm going to a long term mission, so I'll be counting on you to protect your little sister and help your big sisters around the house for me," he said. Haruki blinked his eyes before smiling at Naruto and holding his arms out. Looking at their mother for permission, Naruto gently took his little brother into his arms. Thanks to several baby sitting missions Naruto as quite capable of holding his little brother correctly and brought up one of his tails to tickle Haruki. The little hanyou giggled and hugged the furry appendage, getting giggles for Hinata and Tayuya.

"All right everyone, smile for the camera," said Mikoto as she centered the camera on the parents and twins with the rest of the clan around them, though Naruto pulled Hinata in and kept her from escaping with his tails. Tayuya then brought out her flute and started playing a lullaby to put the twins to sleep.

(0o0o0)

With Kyuubi busy taking care of the twins, the next two weeks seemed to fly by rapidly. Luckily for Kyuubi, she had Mikoto to help her as well as several big sisters and a big brother to help amuse the two orange haired kitsune. True to most hanyou children with a powerful youkai parent, the twins grew quickly as Kyuubi's ancient spirit that they inherited part of caused them to develop rapidly. They were crawling around by the end of the week and pouncing on any kitsune tails that twitched. So it was with a heavy heart that Naruto bid his family goodbye on the day he was to leave.

The whole family was gathered in the front yard of the Uzumaki house to see Naruto off after a splendid feat the night before with all of Naruto's friends and their families attending. Naruto was currently wearing his black fire rat hair jacket over a green shirt and a pair of blue cargo shorts with a large frame back pack on his back filled with sealing scroll containing three years worth of ninja tools and supplies as well as clothing. "Naruto, when you've arrived at the place you'll be staying, follow the instructions on this scroll," said Kyuubi as she handed Naruto a scroll with the picture of a house on the cover. "One of the most loyal of my retainers has agreed to live with you three as a way of making sure you keep up with your studies and to provide any help with kitsune jutsu you might need. This scroll will summon her to your location, so only use it in your new home."

"Make us proud son, learn everything Jiraiya can teach you and improve on it," said Ken as he placed a hand on Naruto's head.

"Write often," said Haku as she hugged her brother.

"If you come back so weak that these two can kick your butt we'll make your life a living hell," said Tayuya as she rested her hands on the twins' heads.

"We'll miss you Nii-san!" sobbed Akemi as she hugged Naruto tightly. Naruto rubbed her back comfortingly before she relinquished her hold on him.

"Take care of yourself and Hinata," said Mikoto as she kissed Naruto's forehead.

"When you get back I'm going to want to spar with you," said Sasuke before he raised his fist so Naruto could bonk his own fist against it. This was their method of doing a handshake and lightly testing each other's strength at the same time.

"Count on it, I'll be so strong that I'll be Hokage in no time!" declared Naruto before walking out of the compound with Gishou at his heals to meet Jiraiya and Hinata. Hinata was now wearing a dark blue vest top with a zipper in front that covered a white T-shirt, leaving a little of her belly exposed before a dark blue skirt without any side part covered a pair of purple cargo pants (think Tifa's outfit from FFVII: Advent Children except in the colors described and with a shorter back flap). Like Naruto, both Jiraiya and Hinata wore large backpacks containing all the ninja supplies and other gear they'd need for their trip. The trio set off towards the gates of Konoha with all their friends and family watching them go.

"That boy is going to be taking my place soon," said Tsunade.

"You're right, he's already inherited the Will of Fire passed down from our previous Hokage. He'll lead Konoha into a golden age," said Ken.

(0o0o0)

In an underground cavern, nine shadowy forms appeared. "Fufu... all of us meeting together like this…" said one of the figures.

"We haven't done this since seven years ago when Orochimaru left the organization," said another.

"And now the snake is dead, killed by the Kyuubi, taking the Hachibi with him," said another.

"There will be another Hachibi, the Youkai world needs the Bijū to stay stabilized," said the shadow in the middle of the room.

"But we only have three years. If we all do it together, our success rate will be high, yeah?" asked one of the shadows who was hanging from the ceiling.

"Yes, our ambition, if we include the Kyuubi, everything will be in our hands," said the lead figure as his grey eyes swept over his subordinates.

(0o0o0)

Naruto glanced back at the Hokage monument, where work was already being done to add Tsunade's face to the mountain. Raising his hand to the mountain, the fox boy whispered, "Watch me," before clenching his hand in promise and running to catch up to his sensei, girlfriend and pet.

**Well, it's been a blast writing this fic. Now I'm working on Hanyou Trials. However, I need some help from my loyal readers. I need some OC to fill up the classes Naruto and Hinata will be taking, so please feel free to send me a high school student character for one of the following subjects:**

**Magic Awareness**

**Ninja 101 (note, they can't be above Genin level)**

**First aid**

**Computers**

**Driver's Ed**

**Just send me a character, but not in a review, as a PM, if I need more I'll leave a note at the end of the prologue of Hanyou Trials.  
**


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